The Other Side of the Story
by KryptoKin
Summary: This is the companion piece to my Batwoman story in the Batman section of the comics fan-fiction. Supergirl is a diplomat representing Kryptonians as well as other aliens, like Wonder Woman is representing Themyscira. On her journey, she meets the elusive Batwoman. Set about ten years or so after the new 52 reboot and rated for action violence and brief spots of language.
1. Chapter 1

**If you're reading this for the first time, I hope you like this. If you're re-reading it or whatever you may notice some changes. It's just grammar stuff but also there will be certain changes due to me making stupid mistakes.  
Also, I do not own any of these characters except the ones I make up.**

* * *

"Danvers!' I slip past several of my coworkers and slide into Perry White's office before he has a chance to yell my name again. "Danvers, where in the name of Elvis's blue suede shoes have you been?"

"Getting this…" I plop down the story about Wonder Woman and Supergirl leading the peace talks between Prime Minister Zegried Arbaya of Qurac and the newly appointed Prime Minister Boran of Bialya. He yanks the paper off of his desk and looks over it briefly. He smiles slightly and shakes the paper at Jimmy Olson, who has been sitting in one of Perry's waiting chairs.

"Now _this_ is reporting." As soon as Perry drops the paper back on his desk, Jimmy stands up and takes a look at it.

"Impressive, you even got statements from Supergirl _and_ Wonder Woman." I don't miss his little use of infliction on the word "and." Lately, getting a statement from Supergirl has been as easy as eating pie, but getting one from another superhero that usually refuses to give comment is another thing entirely.

"I snuck into their hotel rooms. Both of them were as cooperative as anyone leading a dangerous yet important peace talk can be."

"There's bad blood between both countries," says Perry while thinking out loud and looking out of his office window. "This peace talk could turn the damage caused by Queen Bee around." He turns around and looks at Jimmy and me. "If this talk doesn't go as planned, then a lot more lives will be at stake." Both Jimmy and I silently agree.

Perry sits down at his desk, a sign that our chat is over. Jimmy and I leave quickly and make our way over to our desks. We've been sitting next to each other and working almost exclusively together for the past six years.

"So Danvers, how do you feel about covering this meeting of the century?" I smile and sit down on the edge of my desk.

"Hard to describe. Excited would be a good word and nervous. This is the first big story I've covered…ever."

"What about when you and I did that story on those terrorists who blew up the Hall of Justice?"

"That was big too but I had you. I'm doing this alone. And to be honest, I'm scared I'm going to mess it up." Jimmy smiles softly and leans back in his chair.

"You'll do fine Danvers, you always do." Before I can say anything in reply, Cat Grant pops her head into our little cubicle area.

"Hey you two, how do you feel about accompanying me to a dinner tonight?"

"What like a date?" Jimmy asks.

Cat glares at him. "No, there's a gala being held in honor of Geoff Jones."

"Oh, the billionaire-slash-goody-two-shoes that's been showing up Lex Luthor these past few months. I'm in. How 'bout you Linda?" I think over it for a moment.

"Sounds good to me, I have a new dress I've wanted to wear for a while."

Cat smiles widely and gives a small squeal. "Great! I will see you two at Luthor Towers on the corner of Main and Seventh at nine." Cat pops out as fast as she popped in and heads back to her office at PGN; the clicking and clacking of her heels fading down the hall are the only thing that follows as she goes.

"So," starts Jimmy, "you ready to get your groove on tonight?" I roll my eyes and walk around my desk to plop in my chair.

"Please, and miss out on you tripping over your two left feet? Not a chance."

**X**

I arrive at the third highest floor of Luthor Towers at 8:30 pm. Jimmy called me earlier to say he was going to be late and to tell Cat. As I look around the ballroom at the hundreds of people who are here, I don't see her.

"You wouldn't be looking for me, would you?" I smile and turn around to say hi to the voice behind me.

"Bruce…" Bruce Wayne leans down to hug me. As his large arms, hidden underneath his charcoal black suit, envelop me I inwardly smile. I can't help it. If a man like Bruce Wayne hugged you, you would smile too…or faint.

"You look beautiful," he says with a slight squeeze of his arms. I pull away from him and fix the lapel that I shifted during the hug.

"Thank you, and I'm actually looking for Cat Grant but she isn't here."

"Miss Grant has a habit of showing up no more than fifteen minutes before the start of any event."

"If Lois new this, she would have a fit." Bruce chuckles slightly and puts his hand on the small of my back.

"Do you want anything to drink?" He asks while leading me to the bar.

"Just water." Bruce looks at me surprised. "What? Oh, just because I can't get drunk doesn't mean I should go ahead and drink like a sailor on shore leave. Besides, I've found I don't like the taste of alcohol."

"How about a glass of champagne?"

"I prefer wine but a glass of champagne couldn't hurt." To be honest, I don't like the taste of champagne. Bruce knows this but somehow I think it makes him feel better not to be drinking alone.

He grabs two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and we go out onto one of the many balconies. Bruce closes the double doors behind us. We're alone and for Bruce, being alone with me means something serious is about to happen. I walk out to the balcony's railing and turn around to face him while leaning on it.

"What's on your mind Bruce Wayne?" He moves to stand next to me and faces the city. We stand there, he and I, in this heavy moment of silence, half-knowing what is one each other's mind but wishing not to say anything about it. Before long, he takes a breath and puts his drink down.

"Linda, what's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?" His body stays facing the city but he looks over at me.

"I've noticed in the past two months you've been getting weaker. Why?"

"I don't know."

"You're lying. I can tell." I hate that he can do that. That he has gained this ability to know whether or not I'm lying. The only good thing is that I can do the same to him.

I turn my body to face him and he does the same. "Look Bruce, I can't explain why I've been feeling more tired than usual. I just can't."

"Can't…or won't?" I let out a sigh and look up at him.

"There are some things…situations that I _can't_ explain and this is one of them. All I can say is that you are the Great Detective. You'll figure it out." I move to go back into the ballroom but Bruce stops me.

"Kara," he says like a needed release of a breath. I look up at him and see his eyes are glistening. I set my champagne down and reach up to place my hand on his right cheek. And with a small smile, I stand on my tip-toes and kiss him fully on his left check; knowing my 24 hour lipstick won't rub off on him. And before he can say another word, I grab my champagne and leave him standing alone on the balcony.

When I walk through the doors, I can see the event is about to begin. Karl Jefferson, the mayor of Metropolis, is on the stage and clearing his throat, ready to begin the event. By the time I've made my way over to other side of the ballroom, I've spotted Cat with her cameraman Dave and Jimmy at the bar flirting with a young blonde who looks vaguely familiar. I must have been distracted because I slam my shoulder into someone.

"Oh, sorry," I say. The woman gives me a dirty look but says nothing and moves on. Once I plant myself near the back corner of the ballroom, Jimmy leaves the bar and comes over to stand with me. "I thought you were going to be late?"

"I wrapped up my little hindrance faster than expected." I take a sip of champagne to keep from my rolling my eyes and smiling.

"Did you have a lovely time flirting with that cute blonde?" I ask him with a tilt of my head.

"Why Linda Lee-Danvers, it almost sounds like you're jealous." Jimmy and I dated for a long time and even though we ended it, or to put if more accurately _I_ ended it, two years ago, every so often I get these small feelings of jealousy. I have no right to feel that way anymore but still.

"I just want to know if you two hit it off." Jimmy gives me a disbelieving look.

"Her name is Bette Kane, she's much too hyper for my taste, and she's from Gotham. She's here with her uncle-"

"Colonel Kane, yes I know all about him. Doesn't he have a daughter?"

"Yeah Kate Kane. In fact, I think that's her over there talking with Bette now." I look over and see the woman I bumped into earlier.

Small world.

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**By the way, for those who are just starting out with this fic and don't know, this is an alternate POV of the fic Gettin' By hosted in the Batman sections of comic fan fictions. If you're too lazy to look for it then just go to my site to read it.  
You can read this first, and Gettin' By next or you can read them at the same time. It's up to you.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"I want you to be safe. Now remember to call me-"

"If I need anything, I know Jimmy. Relax." Jimmy takes a deep breath then gets out of the car to open my door. I squint at the bright sunlight and step out into the hot and humid air.

"Is it just me or is it ridiculously hot out?"

"It's just you." Jimmy bumps his shoulder into mine and goes to get my bag out of the trunk. He hands me my carry-on then drops the rolling suitcase onto the ground to pull out the handle. He closes the trunk and pulls the suitcase around his car.

"Do you have your ticket?" I pat the bottom pocket of my cargo pants where my wallet and ticket are. "And are you sure you have everything?"

I snap my fingers. "Darn, I forgot my toothbrush." I smile at Jimmy. He rolls his eyes and pushes my suitcase towards me. Then he places his hand on my shoulder and looks me dead in the eye.

"If you need anything," he puts his other hand up to stop me from interrupting, "you call me. I will be on the first flight to Washington." I lay my hand on his for a moment then take it off of my shoulder only to end up interlocking fingers with him.

"James Olsen, stop worrying. I'll be fine." I use my free hand to push my glasses up my nose. "I'll call you when I get to D.C." I let go of Jimmy's hand and grab my suitcase. "See ya 'round Olsen."

"Later Danvers." I enter the building and prepare to board my plane to Washington D.C. Before I have the chance to check-in my bags, a large well-dressed man in a black suit stops me.

"Excuse me are you Linda Lee-Danvers?"

"Maybe, what's it to you?" The man pulls back his jacket and shows me a security badge clipped to his shirt's breast pocket. His name is Henry Pine.

"I was told to escort you to your plane."

"I know where my plane is. I don't need someone to make sure I get there."

"Your plane has been changed." He reaches for my bag but I step back to keep him from touching it.

"What do you mean _changed_?" He pulls his hand back from me and hands me a slip of paper he pulled out of the inside pocket of his jacket. He hands it to me and I look it over. "Of course." I shove the paper into my left pocket and motion for the man to take me to the plane. He goes to grab my bag again but I block him. "I'd rather pull my own suitcase, if you don't mind?" Henry gives me a curt then moves.

I don't know what he's playing at, having me ride in his private jet than ride public fare. He's not trying to impress me because his money never has. Putting me on a jet where I'm practically forced to spend a four hour flight with him…oh yeah, he wants to talk. And though I can turn back and fly to D.C. without the use of a plane, I promised Clark I would fly pedestrian for him; so no powers.

Henry leads me outside to a smaller section of the airport where a private jet is waiting. And though there is no crest or official seal on it, I know exactly who owns it. When we get to the stairs I hand Henry my suitcase. He carries it behind me as we walk up the stairs. After I step in the jet, I hand Henry the carry-on so he can take all of my bags to the back of the plane.

I look around the inside of the plane and find it to be too flashy compared to what I've previously seen. "Odd choice of upholstery."

"I couldn't agree more," I turn around to find who I've been looking for has just stepped into the plane. "Then again, this has always been more of Ollie's style than mine."

"It's good to see you Bruce."

"And you Linda." After our not-so-smooth talk last week at the gala, Bruce and I have been a little distant. I can feel he wants to give me a hug but it might be best to talk over things before going back to our more comfortable routine. Henry comes out of the back and diverts the awkwardness growing between Bruce and me.

"We're ready to go Mister Wayne."

"Thank you Henry." Henry steps past us and closes the hatch door. After he locks it, he disappears through the curtains that cut-off the cockpit from the main body. "Let's sit down." We sit opposite each other, I on the left side of the plane and Bruce on the right. It feels weird sitting like this but if physics has taught us anything, proximity always increases attraction.

To say Bruce and I have a complicated relationship would be the understatement of the century. It all started off rather innocently; I was the kid cousin of Superman and he was he Dark Knight. We met as Supergirl and Batman, and immediately I knew he didn't like, or to put it more accurately, trust me. Then again, the Batman never trusts anyone completely. As the years went by, he and I began to work together more often. It started off with a few missions with Batgirl that he would supervise. Then there was the time I saved his life. But the biggest moment of all was when my secret identity was "killed" in an explosion. I relied heavily on Bruce to get me a new identity and to help me start my life over again. I believe that's where it all started.

Bruce and I don't say anything until the plane has reached maximum height and traveling at a constant velocity. "Kara, we need to talk."

"Okay, let's talk." Usually I start off with a joke or a quip but Bruce is not in the mood to joke so neither is me. "I take it you want to start where we left off at the party." Bruce unbuckles and heads for the bar. "Fine, I'll do most of the talking. I can't explain my sudden lack of energy. I've checked out everything but there's nothing to explain what is going on." To be truthful, I'm only telling him half of what he needs to hear. I know _exactly_ why I am getting weaker but he can't know just yet. The next four months are crucial and I can't risk anything going wrong.

"Why do I feel like you're leaving something out?"

"If I am, there is a reason and you are going to have to deal with not knowing." Bruce puts a pause on pouring his drink and puts the bottle down. For a minute, I think he is about to turn and ask me to clarify what I mean but soon after, he picks the bottle back up and pours the rest of his Scotch.

"Will you ever tell me?" Finally, he turns and looks me in the eyes.

"Someday Bruce. But I feel by the time I tell you, you will ready know everything."

X

After Bruce and I finished our serious talk, we spoke about what I would be doing in Washington. When I told him about the peace talks, he gave me an odd look. Either he was skeptic that anything would be accomplished or he knows something I don't. As soon as we touched down in Washington D.C, I called Steve Trevor to tell him I had arrived early and was at the airport. He told me he would send an officer to come pick me up. To my surprise, he sent none other than Yeomen Diana Prince.

"Diana!" I yell before jumping into Diana's arms to give her a big hug; thankfully she isn't wearing her uniform, otherwise she could get in trouble for my act of PDA.

"Hey Kara," she whispers in my hair before pulling back and giving me a big smile. "How is my little friend?"

"Di, I'm five-eight. I'm not exactly small."

"You are to me." I give her a punch in the arm and move to the back of the car to put my luggage in the trunk.

"Considering you're six-foot-three, it's hard for anyone to not be smaller than you." Even with the large glasses and dumpy clothes, Diana still catches the eyes of several men and women. It's hard not too with how tall she is and how beautiful she looks. Even the messy bun doesn't take away from her beauty. It also doesn't help that I'm so tall either. Tall people turn heads; can't help it.

After I close the trunk, Diana and I get in the government issued car and pull away to the hotel both her and I are staying at as Wonder Woman and Supergirl, respectively. Apparently, we will be arriving in our hotels tonight. That gives Di and I time to enjoy each other's company and not have to worry about any League business until later.

"Kara, we need to talk." Then again, I could be wrong.

"Sounds serious, what do you want to talk about?"

"It's a little hard to explain." Instead of turning down South St. to The Ritz-Carlton, we turn down another street.

"Di, what's going on?"

"We're meeting Kal, he wants to show you something." Kal is Diana's and my nickname for Superman; though technically it is his actual name.

"Why does Kal want to see us? And I thought he was with Kon-El taking care of some issues in Bialya."

"He was but Bruce caught something on the monitors in the Tower and wanted you to see this." This explains Bruce's presence in D.C. and why he gave me that odd look on the jet. After a thirty minute drive, give or take, we arrive at what looks like an office building. It's actually a cover used by the League to transport members of the JLA to the Watchtower. An abandoned building would call the attention of drug dealers. Diana and I go in and are immediately greeted by J'onn in his John Jones disguise. If J'onn is down from Watchtower then this is extremely serious. We mentally say hello then let him lead the way to Kal-El. After walking the maze that are the hallways and going down the stairs that feel like they lead to the center of the Earth, we finally reach the door that opens to the actual League equipment.

"This is what you're really here to see Supergirl," says J'onn before opening the large metallic door. What I see inside takes my breath away.

"This isn't possible," I say while approaching the restoration tank. Superman moves to stand by my side while Batman watches on from the dark. Both have already changed into their uniforms. "I thought you checked over the remains of Krypton?"

"I did, but I failed to thoroughly examine the remains of our neighboring planets." I step closer to the tank and put my hand on it. The glass is cold beneath my touch. "Kara Zor-El, meet Kara In-Ze, your cousin."

* * *

**I apologize for the few physics references. I was taking a summer physics course when I wrote this chapter. **


	3. Chapter 3

I look over the charts Poison Ivy handed me earlier then give them back to her when I'm done. Kara's vitals are stable and everything is in working order. In fact, she has a fit bill of health except for the fact of being in a coma.

"It has to be the cryogenic freeze. Something went wrong out in space and the machines were damaged. I've seen it before but usually the conclusion is death, not a coma," I say while looking over the EKG charts The Flash just handed me. Most of the people working on Kara In-Ze are people who know my alter-ego, those who don't weren't brought back into the room until Diana and I changed into our Wonder Woman and Supergirl uniforms. It's not that I don't trust them to keep it a secret; I just don't trust they won't bother me outside of League duty.

"What were the causes of death?" growls out Bruce. I've always enjoyed his transformation from carefree Bruce Wayne to world-on-his-shoulders Batman; sadly, I've come to know that Bruce's alter-ego is Bruce Wayne while Batman is the real Bruce.

"There's a small chip in a device that's placed at the base of the skull where it meets the spine and used to keep the brain active and fed. Think of it as a back-up in case the actual cryo-machine fails. For example, a young soldier was placed in a machine for six months. During a crystal storm, the machine failed but the device we affectionately named 'The Leech' was intact. So his brain was fully active and in good shape but his body was all but destroyed. It took ten years just for him to get the use of his arms and face back."

"So it paralyzes them," comments Diana.

"Yes and no. The cryogenic freeze, at least the kind Krypton was testing, put your body at a temperature that actually freezes the molecules. Not only are you kept from aging but your body is completely still. If the machine malfunctions, your molecules go in a rage to put it mildly. I wasn't being trained in the field so I'm not completely up to par with the details but think of it not as being paralyzed but your cells refusing to react."

Flash hands me another chart and finishes my thoughts. "When you're paralyzed, it's due to damage to the brain or spine. This sounds as if the muscles themselves are dead, unable to receive signal."

"Something like that," I say absent-mindedly. The chart I'm looking through displays Kara's brains signal. There's something odd. "Flash…" He stops talking and looks over at me. "How recent are these?"

"I printed them off five minutes after you arrived."

"See Batman, this is why the League needs iPads." I know Bruce well enough to know he's rolling his eyes on the inside. "Let me see what's going on now." The Flash zooms over to his station and pulls up the monitoring system that's tracking Kara's brain activity. "Do me a favor, watch that while I talk to Kara. Make sure you keep track of the times when I talk and what the activity is during then." Flash nods his head while I walk over to the tank. I place my hand the same place I did earlier and lean my head against the glass; it's still cool to the touch.

"Kara, Kara can you hear me? It's me, your cousin Kara Zor-El. Our mothers were sisters." I look over at Flash and he motions for me to continue. I decide to try a different tactic; I start talking to her in Kryptonian. "Kara In-Ze…I know you hear my voice. It is I, Kara Zor-El your cousin. I am sorry for what happened to you. I want you to know that Kal-El and I will all in our power to wake you. I promise."

"Supergirl, you need to see this." I move from the tank and look at the monitor. "See this area here? This is where you were talking to her in Kryptonian. Do you understand what this means?"

"She can hear me. This is good, if her brain is reacting like this then the The Leech wasn't completely damaged. But it will take a while for her brain to heal. It's still early in her recovery so it's too soon to tell how long it will take." I walk away from Flash and stand with Diana, Kal-El, and Bruce. "The signs are good now but like I told Flash, it's still too early to tell."

"What do we do until then?" asks Diana.

"We wait. The brain is a delicate piece of the body. For now, let's continue her treatment the way it's been going."

"Who said you were getting involved with this?" I hear the faint sound of Bruce under the serious Batman question.

"I figured I'm only here because Kal-El thought it was the right thing to do. Besides, my expertise in this science can be of use to you."

"You also need to consider the peace talks that are taking place next week," he says in retort.

"I've been playing the two-sided coin for a while Batman. I think I can handle this." A ghost of a smile plays on Bruce's lips but only I catch it.

"Very well." He's back in his Batman persona and walks away to speak with Flash.

"Kara. Why don't you and I go check in? We'll come back later tonight." As much as I don't want to leave, I know Diana is right.

"See you tonight Superman." Kal-El hugs me goodbye and I leave with Diana. On our way out, we change into our civvies.

It's an hour drive to the hotel and Di and I talk mostly about how our days went and what are plans are after the peace talks. "Steve and I are planning our one year dating anniversary. Or he's planning it and I'm dropping large hints," says Diana with a wink.

"That's sweet. I'm glad you two are working out."

"So am I. What about you and Wally? You two have been dating for seven months now. How are things going?" I sight and lean my head against the seat.

"Fine, as fine as it'll ever be."

"Linda, what's wrong?" I take my glasses off and rub the bridge of my nose.

"Wally has been great, it's just…there's something missing Di. I love him, I know that. But deep in my heart I know Wally and I are not meant to be."

"How long have you been thinking like this?"

"After he and I celebrated our six month anniversary. He put so much effort into and it was beautiful but I can't keep stringing him along. He's a great guy and he did nothing wrong, but there is a woman out there that is willing to go the same direction he is and I'm not her." Diana turns left at the light. We have one mile left to go until we reach our hotel.

"When are you planning to tell him?"

"Soon, probably after the peace talk." Di doesn't say anything after that. She pulls into the hotel's parking lot and we get out. After we check in as Yeomen Diana Prince and Daily Planet reporter Linda Lee-Danvers, we leave and come back as Wonder Woman and Supergirl. Immediately, we are swarmed by reporters asking us about what would take place these next few weeks. We answer with the usual "no comment" or "you will know when the talk is over" and a few other lines with a tad more detail to their names.

After we enter our room, the bell boy leaves us alone. I perform a thorough sweep of the room then head to the one we're staying in as our alter-egos. The UN arranged to have Yeomen Prince stay in the adjoining room so that Wonder Woman and Supergirl would always have someone to speak to for any need. Then there was the perk of me rooming with her which meant the Daily Planet didn't have to pay for such an expensive room.

I change out of my uniform and relax on the bed. She lies on the bed with me but stays in her Wonder Woman outfit, sans the boots and cape she usually wears when in her diplomat mode. I was wearing a traditional white uniform that the politicians on Krypton would wear; a long tunic-like design with a golden headband that symbolizes my authority. It felt odd wearing it the first time around but now I've been doing my duty as an alien diplomat for almost three years. It's more like a second skin to me, similar to my more colorful uniform. Right now, I'm in a plain white t-shirt and black sweatpants; I try to avoid wearing socks whenever I can. I wiggle my toes while lying on the bed and search for a movie to watch. With no one meeting us until 7:00 pm, Di and I have time to kill.

**Meanwhile, back in Gotham city…**

Kate Kane plops down on the couch and flips on the television. Her cousin Bette is in the kitchen getting the popcorn ready. While Kate is changing the channels looking for the movie Bette said would "knock her panties off," she pauses on the news channel. PGN is broadcasting a segment having to do with the peace talks between Qurac and Bialya in Washington D.C.

Footage is being shown of Wonder Woman and Supergirl entering the hotel. They don't speak much and when they do it's usually a "no comment" or something similar. Kate remembers meeting Wonder Woman when she was patrolling as Batwoman years ago. It was one of the most intimidating and exhilarating moments of her life. Who wouldn't want to meet an Amazonian princess from an island of all women?

"She's grown into quite the woman, hasn't she?" says Bette while placing the popcorn bowl on the coffee table and sitting down next to her cousin. "Supergirl I mean. She's grown from this slightly awkward yet powerful teenager to this beautiful and even more powerful woman, don't you think?" Kate gives Supergirl a one-over then starts changing the channel again in search for the movie.

"I guess."


	4. Chapter 4

I plop down on the bed and let out a long breath; careful not to blow a hole into the ceiling. Today was the first meeting between Bialya and Qurac. It started at 8:00 am and ended at 6:30 pm, and I know they are only going to get longer. Most of the meeting consisted of Wonder Woman speaking on recovering from the damage caused by Queen Bee and bringing the two nations together. Though the idea is simple and beautiful, to do such a physical and economical feat would take years. Prime Minister Zegried Arbaya of Qurac Minister and the new President (often mistaken as Prime Minister) Boran of Bialya spoke often on how they could bring the two countries together. There is no doubt anger and distrust boils between the two of them, even with both leaders putting up a friendly façade.

Arbaya had dealt with Queen Bee on many occasions and knows to be cautious about anyone. The only people he does trust are his daughter and a few members of the League; Wonder Woman and Supergirl included. I look up from the bed when I hear the hotel room's door open and close. Diana leans against the door after she shuts it and closes her eyes while letting out a sigh.

"Tired?" Diana smiles and pushes off of the door. I scoot over to the right to let Diana lie down next to me. "I could order some food."

"Make it fruit. I'm too tired to eat anything cooked." I get up and dial the number for room service.

Before speaking I clear my throat and shift my jaw. "Hello, this is Yeoman Diana Prince. I need an assortment of fruit delivered up to room three-hundred and forty-five. Thank you." I hang up and catch Diana watching me with a smile on her face.

"I love it when you do that. Change your voice."

"Precise muscle control," I say using Batman's voice. Diana laughs then stands up and walks to the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower. Call me when the food arrives." I divert my eyes when Diana starts undressing. When I walk into the adjoining room Diana and I share as our alter-egos, I undress and change into a pair of jeans and a simple white t-shirt.

Sitting on the bed barefoot, I type on my laptop and go over the information from today. I need to filter what I know for the Daily Planet since Linda Lee-Danvers is supposed to know less than Supergirl does. I'm almost done when a knock sounds at the door. I pad across the carpet and open it. The bellboy pushes a cart carrying covered dishes past me and stops in the middle of the room.

"Here you go ma'am, the best fruit the hotel has to offer." I push my glasses up my nose and give the bellboy a bright smile.

"Thank you, I'll tell Yeoman Prince you stopped by." I give the bellboy three dollars, apologize that I don't have more on me, and close the door behind him just as Diana walks in the room with nothing but a towel on.

"What do we have here?" Diana drops the smaller towel she was using for her hair on the bed and lifts up the covered dishes. An assortment of pineapples, pears, apples, and melons are sliced and arranged in several beautiful arrangements. Diana grabs a pear slice and pops it in her mouth. She moans in appreciation and goes to the closet to get dressed. Tonight, Steve is taking her out on a date. I pick up a piece of pineapple and take a bite out of it when Diana's towel drops to the floor exposing her bare backside.

"Geez woman, I'm eating here." Diana gives me a dirty look over her right shoulder then sifts through her closet for something to wear. I pull the cart with me as lie down on the bed and proofread my unfinished article. Suddenly, Diana leans over me, thankfully wearing a bra and panties, and grabs more fruit.

Growing up on Themyscira, Diana was used to being naked around other women. When we first shared a hotel room, she found out very quickly that I was not. Let's just say, I'm not too keen having a naked person strutting around my hotel room. But I'm so used to her walking around in her underwear that it has become the norm for us. Of course, this is when Diana is being her princess self. Diana Prince, member of the US Navy, is much more conservative.

I let out a growl to warn Diana that she is blocking my view of the laptop. She pulls back, gives me a wink, and heads back to the closet to _finally_ get dressed. I add a few final touches to the article when my phone goes off.

"Hello?"

_"Hey girl!"_

"Barbara?"

_"Who else?"_ I pull the phone away from my ear and look at the screen.

"Why is this number blocked?"

_"Complications."_

"Babs…" I say in suspicion, "what are you up to?" There's a chuckle on the other line that's clearly not Barbara. "Barb who's sitting with you?" I hear a smack and someone yelling ouch.

_"Just Dick being a dick."_ There's a little bit of scuffling on the other end and the sound of the phone being dropped before someone comes back on the line.

_"Hey Linda, this is Richard Grayson. Sorry about Barbara, she been kind of moody lately."_ There's another smack from the other line and Richard yells ouch again. I roll my eyes and grab a piece of apple. Richard starts talking again but I ignore him because Diana is standing at the foot of the bed dressed for her date. She's wearing the black dress I got her for her birthday and the specially designed bracelets Hephaestus made for her when she's not Wonder Woman. Except for a small amount of eyeliner, Diana has no makeup on and she's letting her hair down in its natural waves.

"I'll be back around eleven. Don't wait up for me." I give her a nod. She walks around the bed and kisses the top of my head. "Try to take a break from writing and go out tonight." Diana grabs her goofy glasses and slips them on her face. When Diana leaves the room, I remember Richard is still talking.

_"…so, how about it? Do you want to come out with us tonight and have some fun?"_

"What? Oh, sure. Yeah, I'll be there."

_"Great! See you in Gotham at nine. And don't forget to wear something nice. Club Royal is a really high-class place."_ Richard hangs up before I can say anything. I let out a sigh and look down at my unfinished article and the clock. It's 8:23 pm and I have to meet Barbara and Dick in Gotham at 9:00 pm.

It's going to be a _long_ night.

**Gotham City, 9:12 pm**

Batwoman stands on the edge of the roof of a building across from Club Royal. Oracle told her she was taking the night off to spend some time with Nightwing. This meant the only people patrolling Gotham tonight are Batwoman and Robin since Batman is in Washington D.C, and Batgirl and Red Robin are with the Teen Titans. From her spot on the roof, Kate can see Dick Grayson standing outside waiting for someone. It isn't Barbara. Some last minute mission involving the Birds of Prey canceled her fun for the night.

_"Batwoman, you busy?"_ asks Robin through the intercom. Kate looks down at the street to see a taxi pull up in front of Dick.

"No, what is it?"

_"The drug deal here at the docks is not about heroine, it's Venom."_ A tall brunette in a navy-blue dress gets out of the taxi and kisses Dick on the cheek. From her angle, Kate can't see her face.

"Thanks for telling me." As the two walk to the door, Dick whispers something in her ears that makes the brunette giggle. As far as Kate is concerned, the girl is another Gotham City slut trying to get money from Bruce Wayne's ex-ward.

_"One more thing Batwoman. One of the users just injected the Venom and is going Bane on everyone."_ Kate sighs and steps back from the ledge she's perched on.

"I'll be there." Kate watches as Dick and his girl walk in the club ready to have a good time and party all night long. Kate doesn't waste time wishing she was out partying too and takes off across the rooftops towards the dock.

It's going to be a_ very_ long night.


	5. Chapter 5

Tonight Gotham is oddly quiet; like the calm before the storm quiet. I left Dick at the club half an hour ago. We enjoyed each other's company and reminisced about our earlier years when he was still Robin and I was just Superman's kid cousin. Afterwards, Dick left my taxi while I opted to take a walk before flying back to D.C. I pause for a second and glance through the window of a toy shop. My birthday in earth years was two weeks ago, I turned twenty-seven or was it twenty-eight? Sometimes I lose track.

As I move away from the shop, it doesn't escape me that I'm being followed. From the sound of their footsteps they are small in stature and light; so either a youth or a woman. On the corner is a Hollywood Diner, similar to the one in Metropolis. I'm not hungry but going in and ordering a hot-chocolate won't hurt either. I walk in and attract the attention of the chef, a waitress, and a few tired-eyed patrons.

"What can I get for you honey?" asks the waitress.

"A hot-chocolate and a slice of apple pie please." She doesn't bother to write down my order and walks away to get it. The door to the diner opens behind me and I can smell gun-powder and flowers. I smile as she sits down next to me, leaving her jacket on to keep people from staring at her tattoos. "Evening Evelyn."

She smiles and turns the stool so she's looking directly at me. "I thought you were in D.C?" Straight to business like usual.

"I was, but now I'm here. Not for long if you were wondering." The waitress, named Darla, gives me my hot-chocolate and apple pie.

"Is there anything I can get you?" she says to Evelyn.

"Just another fork." The waitress gives Ev and me a look then grabs a fork from under the counter. I smile as Ev digs into the pie while I take a sip from my cocoa. I set my cup down and pick up my fork.

"I thought you were going to be with Dinah and Babs," I say before taking a bite of pie.

"I was but Dinah and Ivy had things covered."

"How is Pamela?" She pauses at my use of Poison Ivy's real name.

"Fine." She drags the word out slowly while staring at me. "You know, she still hasn't told us why Batman needed her D.C. Funny how you, Batman, Nightwing, and Poisons Ivy were in Washington at the same time." Evelyn Crawford, aka Starling, is an old friend of Dinah Lance (Black Canary) and a member of The Birds of Prey. A group that Barbara Gordon (Oracle) leads with her vast knowledge of computers. I've only had a few run-ins with her and all as Linda Lee-Danvers. She has no idea I'm Supergirl and with a girl as volatile as Evelyn, I'd like to keep it that way. Also, with me being a reporter and knowing all about their little group she doesn't exactly trust me either.

"You should know why _I'm_ in DC Ev. I can't really tell you about the other three though."

"Not even Ivy?"  
I give her a half-smile and shrug. "Not even Ivy." Evelyn narrows her eyes at me but doesn't say anything. I go to take another bite of pie but stop. "Geez Ev! Save me a piece why don't ya?"

Evelyn tries to hide her smile as she takes the final bite of pie. The jerk. "Ma'am, could we have another pie here for my friend? Apparently she can't keep up with me," says Evelyn. I suppress a growl and give her a "gentle" shove before making another request.

"Make it a chocolate mousse this time, please."

**X**

General Samuel Lane and three of his men escort Wonder Woman and I down a long hallway. The location of the meeting room changes every day; it's part of General Lane's tactic of beefing up security. I find this unnecessary but with someone like Queen Bee gunning to kill both leaders I can understand his level of paranoia. We go down three flights of stairs and into a conference room the size of a typical high school classroom. The six of us are the first ones to arrive.

"I thought Prime Minister Arbaya would at least be here before us," says Diana.

"Due to the lengthy argument that took place yesterday, he and President Boran are timing it so they can arrive at the same time," clarifies General Lane. Wonder Woman and I give each other looks.

"That doesn't sound very bright," says Wonder Woman.

"They may be leaving their rooms at the same time but my men will be taking them different paths. Safety is a key element here. The last thing either of us wants, are two dead leaders on our hands." General Lane has always had a way with words.

Both Superman and I were surprised when he was picked to be Wonder Woman's and my "secretary" for these talks. In the past he worked with Wonder Woman while she arranged cease-fires in Santa Prisca five years ago, but his relationship with Superman has always been tense. Word through the grape-vine says thanks go to Colonel Jacob Kane for my presence and these talks. Apparently, he still appreciates what I did for him a long time ago before I even took the official mantle of Supergirl. Also, I think I remind Lane of his daughter, Lois Lane, which explains a part of his civility towards me.

Half an hour after sitting in the conference room, both political leaders arrive and neither is happy. All of us greet each other formally and prepare to begin the negotiation procedures. But as soon as Wonder Woman invites them to sit down they begin yelling at each other in their native tongue. I'm fluent in Arabic but sometimes they speak too fast, even for me. Wonder Woman gives a loud whistle and grabs control of the room back. She sits down in front of them and the official proceedings begin. Like usual, I keep to my duty of observing and only speaking when need be. Half the time, I feel more like moral support for Wonder Woman than anything else.

As the proceeding go on, I pick up the faint sound of buzzing. Before we begin, I always x-ray a room to ensure there are no bombs or any form of weaponry nearby. I even x-rayed the men as they walked in but the only ones carrying guns are General Lane's men. The sound remains constant so I x-ray the room again and the building but there is no sign of foreign objects anywhere.

So I try something else.

I x-ray _through_ the men to their muscles, organs, and even bone marrow. I've scanned both political leaders and General Lane when I go over Lane's men. Lodged in the stomach of a Captain Karen is a small metallic device, no bigger than a grain of rice. It wouldn't worry me so much except for one problem; I can't see through it.

I lean down and whisper in Wonder Woman's ear, "One of the officers has a bomb in him. We need to pause for one second." I lock eyes with the princess before she nods her head. I approach the captain and grab his arm gently, as soon as I do the buzzing gets louder. Going as fast as I can while holding on to the officer, I speed us out of the building and towards the hospital. I'm almost there when the buzzing gets so loud I almost drop the protesting man. Then he stops yelling and goes wide-eyed the exact same time the buzzing stops. I turn around just in time to see part of the hotel blow up.

**X**

Other than a few major injuries no one was killed in the explosion, except for one; the other officer I missed, the one with the liquid bombed wired through his veins. Apparently, the only reason the entire building is safe is thanks to Batman who swooped in at the last second and had the entire building evacuated. Wonder Woman is doing damage control with the firefighters. I want to help too but Batman decided it was better to talk to me in a dark alley than let me help in any matter.

"Kara, what happened?" I avoid eye contact with him and keep my eyes on Diana.

"I messed up."

"How?" A part of the building collapses and Diana pulls a firefighter out of harm's way with her lasso.

"I don't know." He doesn't say anything in return but watches Diana do her duty with me. "I can rationalize," I finally say, "and pretend there was no way I could have known about the liquid bomb but the truth is…" I take a deep breath and finally look Bruce in the eyes. "The truth is I acted impulsively. I didn't stop and analyze the situation like you and Diana taught me to. Instead, I moved with abandon and almost started up another war."

When Bruce dons the Batman persona, it's hard to read his eyes. But sometimes, _sometimes_ a part of Bruce shines through when he looks at me. I never really know what this means, or maybe I do and I'm just scared to actually identify it. We stand there in silence before he finally says something.

"Oracle and the Birds are planning on helping Detective Sawyer take down a large line of Intergang. They are going to need your help. With the attempt on President Boran's and Prime Minister Arbaya's lives, the D.O.D plans on putting a pause on the peace talks until further investigating can be done."

"Will you be conducting the investigation?"

"No, I'm needed elsewhere. While I'm gone, help out Oracle with whatever she needs."

"What about Diana?"

"I'm going back to Themyscira." Diana is done helping the firefighters and is walking towards Bruce and me. "I think bringing in Wonder Girl will help with security, also it's time she starts learning how to be a delegate and not just a warrior."

The three of us silently lock eyes. Without saying a word, we understand what needs to be done and where we need to go. And with that, Batman disappears in the dark while Diana and I take on the media who have finally arrived.

**Gotham City**

Detective Margaret "Maggie" Sawyer ignores Kate Kane's third call of the day. It's already close to midnight and Sawyer has been working her hardest on the newest Intergang related murder. This was the seventh one this week. Because of this, she missed dinner with Kate. The vibrant red-head had made reservations for Le Chate, a very pricey and hard to get into restaurant.

"Yo, Sawyer!" yells the rotund Detective Harvey Bullock. "Commissioner wants to see you." Maggie looks up from her paper work.

"Why?"

"He didn't say, he just…" Bullock walks over to Maggie and quietly finishes the sentence in her ear, "wants to see you on the roof." Maggie leans back from Bullock's jelly donut breath and gives him a curt nod. It doesn't take long for her to get to the roof of the Gotham Police Department, but when she looks around for Commissioner Gordon she can't find him.

"He's not here Sawyer." Maggie pulls out her gun and turns on the voice.

"Come out of the dark."

"Relax Detective," says Supergirl walking out of the shadows, "it's only me." Maggie stays put for a second but when Supergirl gives her an incredulous look she puts the gun away.

"What's with the get-up?" Instead of dressed in her normal red and blue uniform or her white delegate uniform, Supergirl is dressed in all black. It's a one-piece, form-fitting suit that covers her entire body with black boots and no cape. The symbol on her chest is silver and her hair is pulled back from her face in a long braid.

"Let's just say I'm off the clock." Maggie doesn't like the sound of that and rests her hand on her weapon. Supergirl notices. "Take it easy, our favorite man with the pointy ears told me about your Intergang problem. I'm here to help."

"Oh…wait. Why does Batman think I need help?" Supergirl steps towards the detective until she is only a few feet from her.

"Because this is Intergang. It's like the hydra. Cut off one head and more grow. You need to find the heart Detective Sawyer, or at least the kidneys." Supergirl says the last part with a wink but Maggie doesn't waiver.

"I don't like this." Supergirl shrugs and leans against the bat-signal.

"You don't have to. You just need to know I'm here." Maggie thinks over what Supergirl said for a moment.

"There have to be restrictions," she finally says.

"Naturally."

"One. You only get involved when I need you to. Not when you want to."

"I can do that."

"Two. No other costumes. I'm sure Batman and his dysfunctional family is already involved in this but no more."

"Done."

"And three…keep wearing this covert costume. You look good in it." Supergirl laughs.

"No problem. But now I have something you have to abide to." Maggie's smile slides off her face but she keeps eye-contact with Supergirl, who is no longer leaning against the bat-signal but back at invading Maggie's personal space. "Just one little thing, whatever information or people I give you, you can't ask any questions. No how's, no what's, and no why's." Maggie starts to interrupt Supergirl but is stopped with a hand in her face. "I mean it Sawyer, no questions. This is all under the radar, understand?"

Suddenly, the door to the roof slams opens and Commissioner Gordon along with Detective Bullock and four uniforms rush onto the roof. "Sawyer, are you alright?"

Maggie looks back at the spot where Supergirl was once standing but she's already gone. "I'm fine sir." She looks up at the starry sky. "I'm fine with everything."


	6. Chapter 6

**Reminder: ****I don't own any of the characters except for maybe Night Shadow.**  


* * *

The peace talks resumed and went smoothly until everything was resolved. Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl did a beautiful job of wrapping things up and getting the two world leaders to agree on a lot of issues. But all of us knew it would only last until something new came up. I wrote the article about the talks and sent it into Perry as promised. It made the front page and the feeling I got when I saw my name under the large title was between giddiness and hysterical joy. Jimmy and I had lunch together in celebration and talked about what was next for me. Perry gave me a day off and for Perry White that is generous.

I'm leaving the restaurant when another ginger makes a sudden stop next to me. "Hey beautiful." Wally leans over and gives me a chaste kiss on the lips. "How have you been lately? You know, other than getting your article on the front page of the _Daily Plant_." I smile and he takes my left hand in his right.

"It feels weird. It's like the first time I saw my name printed with Jimmy's in my first byline. The excitement, the giddiness." The smile on Wally's face falls. He knows that Jimmy and I have a rich and emotional past, and sometimes when I mention him it makes Wally uncomfortable.

"How is James?" James. It's like his way of making Jimmy another person and _not_ my ex-boyfriend.

"He's fine. He and I just finished a celebratory lunch."

Wally lets go of my hand and stops walking with me. "How come _I_ wasn't invited?"

I inwardly sigh and face him. "Because _Wally_, you were supposed to be on a mission with the League until tomorrow. I was going to plan a dinner with you and talk about the article then." To be honest, the last part is a lie. In the past couple of weeks, I had forgotten all about Wally. It's not a good sign when you completely forget your boyfriend.

"Oh," he frowns and sighs, "sorry, it's just…I-"

"Keep thinking Jimmy and I are harboring feelings for each other and any minute now we might make-out." I say this with a slight smile but Wally and I both know that's one of his fears.

"Look, I know what kind of past you two had. Yeah, so it wasn't physical, ours isn't either but still…you guys go back a long time and there is a lot of stuff there, stuff that I can't compete with." I heard the resentment in his voice when he mentioned that our relationship isn't physical; aka, no sex. I've found that relationships are a lot less complicated when sex isn't part of the relationship. So yeah, I'm a twenty-eight year old virgin, deal with it.

Anyhow, I know Wally wants that to be part of our relationship but he's not my husband so he has no right to touch me like that as I have no right to be with him like that. But no matter how often I tell him this, he grumbles and changes the subject. I never had that problem with Jimmy, not once. I don't doubt it was on his mind but he never made it an issue. That's what I miss about being with Jimmy the most, he wasn't dramatic.

I pop out of this dangerous thought process and finally look Wally in the eyes. It's time. "Wally, we need to talk." The look on his face conveys a mixture between fear and anger. He opens his mouth to say something but is interrupted.

"Hey Linda!" yells Jimmy as he runs towards the two of us. "Oh, hey Wally, how are you man?" Wally gives me a look then grunts out a reply. I can see Jimmy knows something is up but he doesn't say anything.

"Is there something you want Jimmy?" A smile breaks out on his face.

"I just got a call from Lucy. She's coming in for a few days and wanted to know if the three of us could get some lunch."

"Of course! I haven't seen Lucy in forev…oh." I trail off when I remember what Diana told me the other day. "I can't. Tomorrow, Yeomen Prince and I are heading back to Washington. The leaders of Kazakhstan have been called to stand before the UN. I'm not sure what's going on but Perry wants me there on assignment. Remember?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I guess I'm going to have fun with Lucy all by myself." Jimmy pouts and kicks at an imaginary rock, but I can see a small curl in the corner of his lips when he drops his head down. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"I'll tell Lucy you can't make it. Man, she really wanted to see you."

"I want to see her too. Next time Jimmy."

"Okay, see ya Linda. Nice to see you again Wally." Jimmy walks back towards the restaurant where his car is parked.

"I thought you said we were having dinner tomorrow." I turn to Wally; his arms are crossed and he has a big scowl on his face.

"No, I said I was _planning_ a dinner. I didn't say _when_." With that, my cellphone goes off; it's Bruce Wayne. I flip the phone open to answer while keeping eye-contact with Wally. "Hi Bruce."

"_Have I caught you at a bad time?"_

"Actually you have." The line goes silent; I take this moment to speak to Wally.

"This is probably business, how about we meet for dinner tonight? I'll cook." A small smile on Wally's lips shows I've appeased him, for now.

"See you tonight Kara." He leans forward and gives me a long kiss. Wally and I may be a bad match but he is one heck of a kisser, there's no denying that. I watch him as he walks into an alley and super-speeds off when he's sure no one is looking.

_"Is he gone?"_

"Yes."

_"Good because he's not going to like what I need you to do tonight."_

"What do you mean?"

_"Clark and I were called to business. Barbara needs you in Gotham tonight to speak about Detective Sawyer."_ AKA: the League needs Superman and Batman while Oracle needs to speak to Supergirl about Intergang.

"I'll be there."

_"Good girl."_

**X**

The old warehouse is owned by Bruce Wayne and is nestled between much larger buildings on Gotham's wharf. Barbara called me and said to dress casual for the meeting; so as Linda Lee-Danvers. I showed up five minutes early and decided to take a nap against one of the many crates Bruce has stuffed in the warehouse.

I feel the softness of sleep seep in when a high-pitched whistle wakes me up. "Darn it Canary that hurt!" Dinah Lance (Black Canary) is a tall blonde who is expertly trained in most martial arts and is blessed with a meta-human gift called the "canary cry." I hyper-sonic scream that can scramble you brains if she let it. She walks out of the dark laughing with Starling coming up behind her.

"Next time, try not to fall asleep while waiting for us." I push my glasses up the bridge of my nose then give Dinah a massive hug. I go for a firm handshake with Starling; she's not particularly the hugging type. Neither am I but sometimes a little personal contact is nice to have.

"How are you Starling?" Evelyn shrugs her shoulders. "How about you Canary?"

Instead of answering me, Dinah hands me a folder. Most of it is preliminary information about Intergang, stuff I already know. It isn't until page four that I get new information. "Bruno Manheim is in a coma. Who put him there?"

"We're not sure but it might have something to do with Intergang's newest assassin. He's on page six." I turn to the page and see a small report on a villain named Night Shadow. Apparently, he has the ability to travel within the shadows, literally. "Starling and I are going undercover to see what we can dig up on this Night Shadow as well as get enough intel to shut down as much of Intergang as we can." Dinah and I both know from personal experience that a large organization like Intergang cannot be shut down completely in one fell swoop.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Find a way to get involved in Detective Sawyer's investigation any way you can. Rumor has it she is hiding a witness or in the process of transferring one. If we know who this witness is, we might be able to better investigate." I take the folder and slip it into my bag.

"Sources say Sawyer is having a tough time working with Supergirl, having a reporter nip at her heels won't put her into a better mood." Dinah thinks about it for a moment.

"Ivy may be able to help us with that," she says absent-mindedly.

"There's no way Sawyer would let Ivy get close enough to her to do something." A smile spreads across Dinah's face.

"Who says she needs to convince Sawyer?"

**X**

Barbara and I are strolling down the streets in the upper-east side of Gotham. For a time, we indulge in the comfortable silence between us while observing the people who pass us. "Bruce and Clark left half an hour ago," says Barbara, not really looking to get a response from me. "Has Diana called you about what's going down with Kazakhstan and the U.N?"  
"Not really. She texted me on my way to meet you and all she told me was to prepare to stand a lot and be a third-party observer again."

"How can you be a third-party observer when this is taking place in front of the entire United Nations?" I shrug my shoulders and stop in front of a display window for Vivi's Chocolates.

"I'm not sure. Diana is being elusive and I don't particularly like it."

"What are you going to do?" I look down at Barbara and smile.

"The same thing I do every night Pinky…" Barbara laughs and we continue down the sidewalk. We move in silence until it's broken by the chiming of the Gotham Cathedral bells. "Oh my gosh." I stop mid-stride and almost cause a couple walking behind me to slam into me. "I'm supposed to cook dinner for Wally tonight. He's coming over in," I look down at my watch, "one hour. I-I have to go."

"How are you going to cook dinner for Wally of all people in one hour?"

"This is where super-speed and heat vision come in handy." I give her a wink then look for a phone booth I can change in.

**X**

The table is set, the wine is chilling, the vegetables are ready, the hot-chocolate for dessert is warming on the stove, the chicken is almost down, and I'm dressed for the night. It is nights like these I'm glad I have super-powers. With everything ready, I check myself for the umpteenth time in the mirror. I'm wearing a simple yellow sundress, which is fine since it's not officially fall yet, tan sandals, and no glasses. I keep my hair brown for appearances sake.

I walk back in the kitchen to check on the chicken. It's almost done-

KNOCK! KNOCK!

I don't need x-ray vision to know that's Wally at the door; though usually he knocks four or ten times before I can answer the door at normal speed. Turning off the oven, I pull out the unfinished chicken and set it on the stove top. It only takes a moment for me to use my heat vision and cook the chicken to perfection; a skill I gained while living with my adoptive parents. With everything set, I finally go to the door but when I open it, it's not Wally.

"Jason?"

* * *

**Ooh, how will Wally react when he finds Jason Todd talking with his girlfriend? :}  
**

******By the way, thank you all for being patient with me. I know you want to get to the part where Kara and Kate are actually interacting as much as I do, but if I rush you won't get the story-lines you all deserve. So hang in there. We're getting close.**  



	7. Chapter 7

**There is name in here spelled Ailish; it's pronounced "eye-lish". It's an Irish name and one of my middle names.**

* * *

Diana begins the closing statements of the day. I try my hardest to focus on what she is saying but the soft buzzing in my ears is growing louder and giving me a headache. It also doesn't help the events of three days ago keep playing through my head.

**Three days ago…**

"Jason?"

Standing in front of me, decked out in a charcoal suit sans a tie, is Jason Todd. Years ago, he was the second person to earn the mantle of Robin. Things changed not long after Bruce took him on as a boy wonder though. The Joker killed him which tore Bruce apart and changed the way he dealt with his sidekicks from then on. After Talia al Ghul brought him back from the dead, he changed. The moral wall that held him back was gone. I only met him three times during his period as Robin but my encounters with him while donning the role of the Red Hood had been too numerous to count.

"Evenin' bluebird, may I come in?" Every fiber in my body tells me to say no…

"You have one minute" …but sometimes I don't listen. He gives me his "panty-dropping" smirk as he likes to call it, and walks in. As I close the door, I see him look my body up and down. I try to ignore his obvious ogling and lead him to the kitchen.

"What's with the getup?" he asks.

"Dinner with Wally."

"You still datin' that loser?"

"He's not a loser Jason."

"He is compared to you." I can feel his eyes on me as I grab a root beer out of the fridge and hand it to him. He won't tell anyone this, but it's our favorite soda. In fact, Jason and I have a lot in common, more than people realize.

I sit across from him with my own root beer and take a swig. "What are you doing here Jay?" He smiles at the use of his nickname then takes a drink before answering.

"Rumor has it you're getting involved with Intergang."

"Who told you that?"

"Red needs to pay better attention to where she's sending her info to." This is Jason's way of telling me he hacked into the feed Barbara's uses as Oracle.

"I see, and what's it to you?" The smile on his face curls down into a frown. It's moments like these he looks the most like Bruce, but I know saying that might earn me a Kryptonite blade to the stomach.

"You need to be careful Kara. Arsenal and I did a job a few weeks ago and had a run-in with their guy Night Shadow. I was fine but Roy didn't do too well."

"I already know about Night Shadow. Anything new you want to add?" Jason sets his bottle down and moves at a speed that rivals Wally.

His lips smash into mine in a fierce kiss; it's not sweet or romantic but a kiss of desperation. As he holds me in place with nothing but his hand, which is tangled in my hair at the back of my head, the thought he might have hurt himself while slamming his mouth into mine crosses my mind. I feel my fingers twitch around my bottle but I will them to stay in place. Jason must have felt me shift because he smiles into the kiss and pulls away.

"If we were still dating that would have been a French kiss."

I roll my eyes and pull back from him. "M-hm." He releases a low chuckle and gives me a softer kiss on the nose.

"I've missed you bluebird."

"I'm not yours to miss Jay." He sits back down and shrugs.

"Doesn't matter who you belong to, it's not going to change the way I feel."

"And what do you feel Jason Todd?" This is a dangerous question to ask any Wayne man; from Bruce down to Damien.

"I feel the same as you, a volcano ready to erupt. The only difference is I'm active while you've been dormant for years." Suddenly, my phone buzzes; it's a text from Wally.

**Sorry babe got called into work. Can't make it to dinner. Love you. ~ Wally**

I sigh and text "I love you" back. I look up at Jason who is back to drinking his root beer. Spending time with Jason is like kissing him; everything is fine in that moment but afterwards your brain can't stop running.

"Jason, are you busy tonight?"

**Now**

That night was filled with fun and light-hearted conversation. Both of us avoided the biggest questions that filled our minds and the issues stock-piled with the most tension. Before he left, he gave me one last kiss goodbye. The kiss was bittersweet and only marked the next time I would see him again. I don't make a habit of letting guys kiss me while dating another but Jason is not the kind of guy who follows the rules.

When I closed the door behind him, I waited for the wave of guilt to wash over me but it never came. All night, I pushed for that sickening, heavy-hearted feeling but I waited and pushed in vain. Jason Todd was the final key that told me it was time to let Wally go. Good girlfriends feel guilty if they kiss other guys. Good girlfriends don't kiss other guys.

"Kara, are you alright?" I pop out of my thoughts and look Cassie in the eyes. As Wonder Girl, she accompanied Diana and me to the U.N. Diana is grooming her to take on the role of Wonder Woman in case anything happens to her.

"I'm fine Wonder Girl. I just have a lot on my mind." Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Diana speaking with the president of some African country. I should know his name but I can't remember it right now. "When do you think she'll be done?" Cassie follows my gaze to Diana and shrugs.

"Hard to say. Wonder Woman is patient. She could be talking with him for hours." I stand up from my chair and walk with Cassie out the back entrance. The buzzing in my head is getting worse.

We have to go up two flights of stairs before reaching the hallway where our private conference room is at. Instead of flying, we move nonchalantly and take each step as if we have all the time in the world. "I've been thinking, and I think I know why you're so distracted." I give Cassie a slight nod to let her know I'm listening. "It's Wally. Diana told me you're thinking of breaking up with him."

I figured Diana would tell Cassie about Wally and me eventually, they never keep secrets from each other…most of the time. "These three days must have been crazy for you. First, delegating with Diana to make sure this issue with Kazakhstan is worked through. Second, the stress in having to break someone's heart, and don't even get me started with Jason-" I wrap my fingers around Cassie's arm and pull her back.

"Wait, what?"

"You know, seeing Jason Todd again-"

"How do you know about Jason?"

"He let it slip while talking with Arsenal, who told Green Arrow, who told Canary, who told the Birds, who told-"

"Everyone else and his mother that Jason and I talked three nights ago."

"I heard it was more than that." I let out a groan and run a hand over my face.

"Please tell me Wally doesn't know."

"Hard to say, he's on a mission with Superman and Batman." This doesn't give me any reassurance. This also reminds me of one reason why Jason and I broke up, our private life became a chest-puffing game for him; one of his many ways to get back at Bruce, though I didn't know it at the time. But now it's not Bruce who is getting the full sting, it's Wally.

"Is everything alright?" Diana is standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up at Cassie and me.

"I'm fine Diana."

"You don't look it." Cassie takes this as her cue to leave.

"Um, I'll meet you two later." She walks briskly up the stairs, leaving Diana and me to stare at each other until we hear the door to the fourth floor open and close. Diana is the first to break the silence.

"It's Jason, isn't it?" I slump down with a sigh and nod my head.

"Three nights ago, he came over. When I found out Wally wasn't coming to dinner, I invited him to stay. We only talked but…he kissed me before he left, just like he kissed me at the start of our evening. The worst part is, I could have stopped him but I didn't. And looking back, I'm not even sure why I let the jerk kiss me."

"I don't think you think he's a jerk."

"You're right. He's an arrogant, murderous butt-wad." Diana lets out a soft chuckle as she sits down next to me.

"Nicely put." Diana takes my hand in hers. I rest my head on her shoulder and let out a deep breath as the buzzing in my head calms down to a quiet hum. "Kara, what's really going on? Batman and I have noticed a change in you, physically and now emotionally. We're afraid for you."

"I know Diana. Batman and I had a talk about my change almost a month ago."

"Then tell us what's going on. What are you keeping from us?" I can feel the tears fall but I don't bother to wipe them away. I want to tell her, oh goodness, how I want to tell her. But I can't…I can't risk changing the future.

"Like I told Batman, you'll figure it out." Diana's hand tightens around mine. I close my eyes to keep more tears from falling but it doesn't do any good. I feel Diana brush a strand of my blonde hair back then wipe away the tears.

"Cassie is waiting for us. We need to prepare for tomorrow." I don't say anything but simply nod and let Diana support me as we stand up.

Wiping the last of the tears away, I smile. "Thank goodness I don't wear make-up when on the job." Diana smiles and pulls me into a hug. I melt in the warmth of her until she steps away. The buzzing in my head increases tenfold with the loss of contact.

"Let's go." I take a step but collapse to the ground as my legs give out and everything goes black.

**X**

"She hasn't slept in days."

"Do you know why?"

"No, but I intend to find out. Have you spoken with J'onn?"

"Not since yesterday."

"Hmm, what-" KNOCK. KNOCK. "Excuse me Doctor McCoy." The sound of footsteps coming towards me follows the opening and closing of a door.

"You can open your eyes now Kara." I snuggle deeper in the bed and open my eyes one at a time. Doctor Ailish McCoy is standing at the foot of my bed with a smile on her face and her hands on her hips. "Long time no see."

"Hey." Ailish walks around the bed and sits down on my left. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days."

"Two days! I have to get up-" Ailish places a hand on my shoulder and gently pushes me down.

"You need to rest Kara. You've exhausted yourself to the point where not even the sun can energize you, which is queer considering how you're one giant solar pack." I lie down and think over the events of the week.

"Oooh," I say while running a hand over my face.

"Would you care to share your private thoughts with the class?"

"Not here." She looks at the door where we can hear Diana talking.

"I understand." She gets off the bed as Diana walks through the door dressed in a simple Grecian robe and carrying a bowl of strawberries.

"Good, you're up." Looking around the room, I finally know where I am; in Diana's bedroom on Themyscira Island.

"What time is it?" Ailish looks down at her watch and frowns.

"Well, according to Eastern time five forty-eight but I'm not sure what it is here."

"It's late," says Diana while handing me a strawberry. I take it from her and eat slowly.

"What's been going on at the U.N.?" Diana sits on the bed with her legs stretched out and her back against the headboard.

"After you collapsed, J'onn took you to the Watchtower to scan you in case of Kryptonite poisoning but he said there was nothing wrong with you. All you needed was a good amount of rest." J'onn is one of the few members of the League who knows what I'm hiding. He needed to know in case an incident like this took place. "I continued for another day until I could bring you here. Currently, J'onn is taking my place as delegate with Cassie."

"When you say he's 'taking your place,' you mean…"

"He is literally taking my place in name _and_ shape." When I finish the strawberry, Diana hands me another one.

"For how long?"

"Three days. Today was day one." Diana starts running her fingers through my hair then curls the ends around them before doing it again. A breeze from the ocean blows in and the smell of salt and clean air fills the room.

"When you return, will I be going with you?" I eventually ask.

"Depends on what the doctor says." Ailish is leaning against the doorway leading to Diana's balcony.

"Physically, she seems fine now. But I want to take a walk with her to see how she is doing mentally and emotionally."

"That's fine with me," Diana says in reply before turning to me. "I need to speak with Artemis. We can go for a walk when I get back, okay?" I reach across Diana and grab another strawberry.

"Okay," I say before popping it in my mouth. She smiles then kisses me on the top of the head before leaving me with the doctor. When we're sure she is out of ear-shot, I toss the doctor a strawberry.

"What's the prognosis?" She catches the small fruit and rolls it in her fingers while talking.

"J'onn was able to steer them back on course. A cluster attached themselves to parts of your brain and was working on them."

"Does he know why?"

"All we can assume is they were reacting to the lack of sleep and stress you were putting yourself through."

"Funny, I figured that was a reaction to them attaching themselves to my brain."

"That's a possibility but we'll need to speak with Doctor Havens before we can know for sure. Right now, he's working with your cousin, Kara In-Ze, so he's a bit preoccupied."

"What about you-know-who? How is _she_ faring?"

"The last time we checked, her vitals were getting stronger and she was going in and out of consciousness three or four times a day." Not realizing I had been leaning forward with every sentence from Ailish, I lean back in the comfort of Diana's blankets and pillows.

"Good, then we're right on schedule."

* * *

**Ooooh, what's going to happen next? And who is this other girl they're talking about? :}  
**

**I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, let me know so that I can address them anyway I can.**


	8. Chapter 8

Diana and I walk hand in hand down the beach. We don't talk but let the sound of the ocean fill the silence. I haven't been with her like this in a very long time and realize how much I miss it. I stop at the water's edge, which causes Diana to get tugged back, and stare at the rolling blue water. "Kara, what's wrong?"

I take a breath and close my eyes before answering. "Do you ever regret taking on the mantle of Wonder Woman?"

"No. But that doesn't mean I haven't felt lonely at times or overwhelmed with responsibility. On the other-hand, I've been training for thousands of years so I know what I need to do." It's not the answer I want but it is the one I expect.

"Sometimes I regret becoming Supergirl. A part of me just wants to disappear. Ya know?" Diana squeezes my hand and ducks her head to look me in the eyes.

"Kara, is there something you want to tell me?"

Yes.

"No. I only want you to know how I feel." I can tell from the look in Di's eyes she knows I'm lying and that hurts her. It's painful when someone you love and who loves you in return lies to you. We try to rationalize the reason behind the lying but we never find the right answer. Do they not trust me? Are they too ashamed? Are they're trying to protect me?

"Princess!" Artemis, one of Queen Hippolyta's top guards, is coming towards us with Dr. McCoy.

"What is it Artemis?" Artemis bows to Diana.

"The queen needs you." A flash of annoyance marks Diana's face but she keeps her thoughts in check. Diana is only a princess and thus still under the authority of her mother, the queen.

"Doctor McCoy, is there a reason you are here?" Di asks.

"I spotted Artemis going towards the beach and thought I would let her guide me to it. Your island is still rather foreign to me. Though I have to say, keeping up with Artemis proved to be quite a work-out." Ailish is average-built and 5'6", a midget compared to Artemis's large 6'3" frame. Keeping up with her version of a quick pace would have caused the doctor to practically jog.

Diana gives her a polite smile and me a small bow as she leaves with Artemis. The doctor and I stay in place until the two Amazon's disappear over a sand bank. "I hate lying to her." Ailish looks at me with a raised brow but realization comes soon.

"From what you've told me, you have absolute reason to."

"I know that!" I don't mean to snap and apologize quickly. "I'm sorry Ailish. I don't mean to get angry with you. This situation has put me with odds between everyone I care about. And as much as I want to alienate people in order to make it easier on them-"

"That could alter the situation drastically as well as hurt you." I sigh and nod my head. "Besides, alienating the ones you love doesn't push them away. Not if they're as stubborn as an Amazon, a detective, _and_ a Kryptonian." I smile and move to walk down the beach with Ailish.

"What do you think should be my next step?"

"Concerning the _now_ or the _future_?"

"The now."

"Hmm…I suggest you take a break from being Supergirl. Perhaps one of the reasons for your little meltdown was because of the mental stress and physical strain you've been putting yourself through these past three months. Try to refrain from using your powers blatantly and only when they come naturally. For now, go home. Be with your family and friends as your alter-ego. You told me you have a job, try to get days off if you can."

"The last part might be difficult but I'll see what I can do." Ailish and I continue along the beach until Artemis comes to retrieve us for dinner.

**X**

I follow Ailish's advice to the best of my ability. After leaving the island, I went back to work but as Linda Lee-Danvers. It was actually nice to chill out in the hotel room and wait for Diana and Cassie to get back and tell me what happened.

In order to keep people from asking questions, Miss Martian filled in the role of Supergirl. Like I suspected, most of her time was spent sitting and listening. The few times her input was required, she gave answers that were appropriate. I even used a few of them in the article. "Nice to hear from you Danvers, some of us here thought you died or something," was what Perry White said when I called in to update him on what was happening.

I even spoke to Jimmy for two or three hours about what was happening. "You sound different Linda. Happier." He was right. I was happy and enjoying the low level of stress but I knew it wouldn't last forever. Two days ago proved it.

I was finally back on duty as Supergirl and sitting in my usual place when a high-pitched buzzing came out of nowhere. At first, I thought I was having a relapse but then realized it wasn't coming from me. It was coming from General Snezhana of Kazakhstan. According to Batman, the bomb from the Bialya/Qurac incident was in liquid form while the actual switch was inside the man I whisked away. General Snezhana had the switch lodged in his liver; now it was up to me to find the bomb. I worked quickly, scanning everyone in the room. While doing so, I caught a pair of eyes hiding in the dark. Bruce was there and from the brief moment we shared, I knew he saw the look of worry in my eyes.

The buzzing was getting worse, more high-pitched, and that's when I realized it. Based upon earlier analysis and before, the switch in the general had to be set off on a timer while the bomb is only set off based on distance. With that in mind, I used the digital com-link hidden on my right wrist and sent Bruce the info. Once it was sent, I didn't need to look up to know Bruce was already gone. In less than five minutes the buzzing became a quiet hum and a message from Bruce said all was handled. Suddenly, the humming stopped. Not good.

I tensed up as soon as I saw a glint out of the corner of my eye and reacted without thinking, stopping a bullet mere inches from General Snezhana's face. I dropped the bullet on his desk and sped through the window of an upper room to the man with the gun.

"Who are you?!" I growled out. He smiled and drifted out of my hands like mist and into the shadows. I heard yelling in the hall as well as on the main floor behind me, then the door burst opened by the kick of three security guards.

"Supergirl, where is he?"

"In the shadows" was all I could say.

Two days later I arrived in Gotham City while the police investigate what happened. They took my statement from me as Supergirl, after which General Snezhana thanked me for saving his life. Later that night, Bruce and I went out for dinner to discuss what our next step would be. Sadly the dinner was interrupted five minutes into it by Alfred. Apparently, Batman was needed elsewhere.

"How's Kara?" I asked him while walking out of the restaurant. I checked on Kara In-Ze as soon as I got back to the U.S.

"Stable."

"But unchanging." He gave me a kiss on the cheek then got in his car. "Hold on a second, aren't you going to tell me what happened on your end of the bomb?" He smiled widely at me before he drove off without saying a word. Jerk.

**X**

I arrive fifteen minutes late for my lunch-date with Barbara. She wanted to meet at some coffee shop as soon as she found out I was going to be spending some time in Gotham and I said yes. As I pass by the window I see Barbara sitting at our table. The look she gives me when I walk in the door makes my cringe.

"You're late Danvers."

"Yeah well, Gotham traffic sucks." Barbara gives me an unsympathetic look and I sit down. A waitress comes over to us and we both order coffee; a latte for Barb and a black coffee for me.

"I thought you hate black coffee."

"Hate is strong word and Jimmy got me hooked on the stuff a while back."

"How is Olsen?"

"Fine, I haven't spoken to him since the day at the UN but all-in-all, he's fine."

"And what about Wally?" I look out the window at the passer-byers and sigh.

"We're having dinner tomorrow."

"And?"

"And I'm going to break up with him." Barbara is surprised by what I say but doesn't comment.

The waitress comes back with our coffees and I watch her as she goes back to the counter, just in time to catch the eye of Detective Maggie Sawyer. I lean back in my chair and give her a smirk. "Detective…"

Her slight groan of annoyance goes unmissed by me. "Danvers…" she growls out before passing me. Barbara reaches across the table and smacks me once the detective is out of sight.

"You are so mean to her." I laugh and go to take a drink of coffee but get distracted when Barbara waves to someone. My eyes land on a tall red-head on the other side of the coffee shop. The woman seems familiar but I can't place where I've seen her. "Hi Kate fancy meeting you here."

"Hi Barbara. I was just enjoying some coffee when I noticed you sitting here."

"Do you normally drink two coffees at the same time?" I ask while putting two containers of cream and three packs of sugar in my cup. Based upon the look Barb is giving me, if she could use her legs should would kick me right now.

"What? Oh no. I was having coffee with a friend of mine but she had to leave." The only person who left the shop since I arrived was Maggie. Interesting.

"Well, would like to join us?" asks Barbara.

"No, I was about to leave anyway when I saw you."

"Eh-hem. Babs, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" I look up at Kate and take a sip of my coffee.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Kate Kane, meet Linda Lee-Danvers, an old friend of mine."

"Old? We hardly qualify as being old Babs." Barbara makes a face at me and I roll my eyes.

"I meant we've been friends for a long time."

"How did you two meet?" Kate asks. The question is directed at me but Barbara chooses to answer instead.

"At college. I was starting my Master's when Linda was just a freshman at Metropolis University." Kate's attention comes back to me and I can see the wheels turning in her head.

"Metropolis University, that's a hard college to get in to."

"It helps to be smart and have family living in Metropolis."

"Linda's cousin lives there. He actually works for the Daily Planet, like Linda." I didn't expect Barb to start bragging about me. I hide my surprise behind a large swallow of coffee.

"You work for the Daily Planet?" Kate asks. I simply shrug my shoulders and lean back in my seat.

"It's not as big a deal as you think. Barb just likes to boast about it."

"I wouldn't have to if you did it yourself." I roll my eyes and lean forward to grab my cup. From the corner of my eye I see Kate watching me. The look she's giving me reminds of how Bruce analyzes me when he wants to figure something out.

"You know Kate, Barbara and I did meet at college but it wasn't at the library or in a class." Kate pops out of her thoughts. "Barb and I actually met at a fundraising gala. My cousin and his partner were covering the gala for the Daily Planet. His partner thought it would be nice for me to come, so she gave me a press badge and snuck me in. Barbara was there because she was covering the event for her one of her classes. We ended up talking about some stupid sculpture and became instant friends. We've been practically inseparable ever since." Barbara smiles at me and I return the favor. Suddenly, my beeper goes off.

"I'm sorry Babs it's the office. I've got to go. We'll continue our conversation tonight at dinner." I stick my hand out at Kate while standing up. She's caught off guard by the gesture but takes my hand in hers nonetheless. "Nice to meet you Miss Kane, I hope we meet again. See ya Babs." I take my bag off the chair and sling it over my shoulder. I pretend to stumble from the weight of it before pushing my chair in. "See ya."

I walk out the door and down the sidewalk past the window. Once I know I'm out of their eye-line, I stop at a store window and listen in on their conversation. I'm curious to see what Kate Kane has to say about me.

"So Kate," says Barb. "What do you think of Linda?" There is a brief silence that follows before she answers.

"She's nice…if you like brunettes." I laugh then move on from the window. As I stand on the edge of the sidewalk and hail a taxi, I remember where I've seen her before. Not only is she Kate Kane, daughter of Colonel Jacob Kane of the US Air Force, but also the woman I bumped into in Metropolis a month ago. I remember her now, though clearly she doesn't remember me.

**Kate Kane's Apartment**

Kate Kane gets home around 8:58 pm. Her talk with the real-estate agent went well and all of the official papers were signed without any issues; she is now the proud owner of a soon-to-be book store. With another hour left until patrol, she undresses and draws herself a bath. Letting herself sink into the warm water, she reaches over to turn on her CD player. Kate's muscles begin to unwind as the beautiful voice of Marnie Alton fills the room. Completely unaware of the blonde hero flying overhead and muttering about how Barbara Gordon needs to stop roping her into things.

* * *

**And it has officially begun!  
To be honest I thought it would have taken a couple more updates but I was so impatient it ended up working out this way.**


	9. Chapter 9

Sometimes, and not often, when the time of night is just right or the weather is Gotham City is quiet, and not the quiet before the storm but the peaceful quiet that signifies a sleeping city. I close my eyes and let this silence wash over me. I like the feeling it brings and wonder if Bruce ever has moments like this. Suddenly, the silence is broken by Oracle speaking in my ear.

_"How's it going Supergirl?"_

"Fine. Everything looks and sounds quiet from up here."

_"Okay, just be careful. You never know what will hit Gotham on a night like this_." Sometimes Barbara has these paranoid/pessimistic moments similar to Bruce's. I've always wondered if it's because both of them grew up in Gotham. _"Hey Kara, Batwoman is at the Gotham Cathedral. You'll see her on the roof if I'm not mistaken."_

"Okay, I'll be there soon." This evening, Barbara and I had dinner at her place. It was then that she got me to help her out tonight.

**6:15 pm**

Barbara and I finish our dinner, which was a lovely chicken Parmesan then sit down to watch some television.

"Kara, are you busy tonight?" She's using my real name, so whatever she wants me to do involves me using my powers.

"No, why?"

"I'm going to need your help tonight."

"Doing what?" By now, Barbara knows I know she wants to use Supergirl tonight.

"Helping with patrol."

"Barb, you know I can't be seen fighting crime. Especially here in Gotham City since everyone thinks I'm in DC preparing for the Kazakhstan peace talk."

"I'm not asking you to be seen. I just need you to help with patrol until you go back to DC." I sigh then agree to help her.

"Okay, but who am I helping? Bruce is with the League, Dick is lending some help to the Teen Titans, and Tim is on a mission with Green Arrow's new Speedy. The only people left are Damien and Stephanie, unless you're counting Huntress."

"No, Huntress is on a mission with the Birds in Bludhaven. Adding to that, Stephanie and Damien are actually busy with tracking down the Mad Hatter and his group."

"Then who am I helping?" Barbara looks down at her hands and takes in a big breath before letting it out. I try to figure out who else is left.

"It's not Jason is it?!"

"No! Gosh no. It's not Jason."

"Then who-" then it hits me. "Batwoman?"

"Yep."

"I thought she wasn't an official part of the Batman Incorporated."

"She officially joined a month ago."

"Nice." I think over the situation for a moment and realize I've never worked with Batwoman before. I've worked with everyone in Batman Incorporated, including Batwing. I figured by now I would have encountered her at least once but that has never happened. "Okay, I'll help. When do you need me?"

"I start my tech patrol at eight. You can join me then."

"What about Batwoman?"

"The others don't really start patrol until ten. I always setup two hours early so Bruce and the rest will be ready when they start patrol."

"And you decided I should start the same time you do?"

"Yes." Barbara gives me a wide, cheesy smile then bats her eyelashes at me. This is her way of trying to get me to start two hours early. It doesn't work on me like she wants it to. I mostly say yes to get her to stop giving me the creepy smile…Perhaps it does work then.

"Fine. Fine. I'll start at freakin' eight for ya." Barbara smiles and leans over to give me a tight hug. She pulls back then shifts into her wheelchair.

"You can drive with me." She wheels away and I hear her say she's never carpooled before as she goes around the corner. I laugh then turn off the television. I have the feeling it's going to be a long night.

**Now**

I smile as I look down and watch Batwoman argue with Barbara. If you ever get in an argument with Barbara Gordon, there's a good chance you won't win it.

"_Actually I thought about that. So I called in for a little back-up,"_ says Oracle.

"Back-up? I don't need back-up."

"_Yes you do. So I asked someone if they could come help you."_ I float down until my feet are even with her head.

"Who?"

"Me" She spins around and almost smacks her face into my boots. She follows my legs up until she finally reaches my face.

"Hello Batwoman. I hope I didn't startle you?" I can tell that I did but she shakes her head no anyway. "That's good." I slowly descend until my feet come in contact with the church's roof. "Oracle called me and said you might need some help tonight." Just as I mention her, Oracle pops into Batwoman's ear.

"_So, what do you think? Is she cool or what?"_ I move to stand next to her and look over the ledge at the city.

"It's hard to say. I've only just met her."

"_You'll like her Batwoman, trust me. She won't let you down."_

"And how can I be sure of that?"

"_Because she's never let me down."_ I feel overwhelming warmth grow in my heart. I don't deserve the compliment Barbara has given me but I am thankful for it. I also know she knows I can hear what she is saying to Batwoman, who by the way has moved to the other side of the building. As if I can't hear what she's saying from here.

"Just because you trust her doesn't mean I do."

"_I know, I know. Look, if you don't trust her that's fine, but she is going to help you."_

"Can't someone else help me with the patrol?" I can hear Barbara sigh on the other side. This makes me smile as I move past a gargoyle and stand behind Batwoman.

"_No, and that's final Batwoman."_ Barbara cuts the connection which causes Batwoman to sigh and turn around. She's surprised again to find me only a few feet away from her. Batwoman blatantly gives me a once over. I'm sure she's a little unsure of what to do with my diplomat uniform. Most of the time when I'm on the news, I'm wearing my traditional red and blue uniform. Finally, she comes to my eyes and stops.

She's staring at me as if trying to see into my soul. I'm staring back when I get the mischievous idea of seeing who is behind the mask. I know I'm not supposed to do this, but considering I know the identities of most of Batman Inc. I figure adding one more won't change anything. Using my x-ray vision, I look through her mask; partially glad she just joined Batman Inc., otherwise her mask would be lead-lined. I'm pleasantly surprised to find Kate Kane is the one staring at me. A part of me is intrigued by this new revelation but another part almost seemed to expect this is the woman behind the mask.

"Is there something you want?" she asks me. I raise an eyebrow at her and shake my head no.

"I just thought you should know why you're stuck with me."

"And?"

"Batman is on a mission with the League, Nightwing is with the Teen Titans, Red Robin is in Star City with Speedy, and Batgirl and Robin are investigating the Mad Hatter's escape."

"And what about in the 'Super' family?" I don't understand why she would ask about the others in the Kryptonian circle but I don't bother to ask her about it.

"Superman is on a mission for the League as well and Superboy is with Captain Marvel and Miss Martian. Are you satisfied?"

"For now. But aren't you supposed to be in DC or something?"

"I was, but Wonder Woman was called into the League to handle some issues in Greece and Kazakhstan doesn't trust Wonder Girl enough to finish the peace talks between them and…well, everyone else. So with nothing to do, I answered Oracle's call and came here." This is only partially true. The news of the attack had to be quieted so I was given the duty as Linda Lee-Danvers to put out a false story. The League also made sure no one told another reporter the real reason for the recess.

Batwoman moves past me and knocks her shoulder into mine as she passes; a stupid thing to do on her part since I'm indestructible and she's not. I hear her release a small whimper of pain then watch as she sits near the edge of the roof. "So how long are you going to be here helping me?"

I move closer and stand next to her. "As long as I'm needed." Batwoman stands up and peers over the ledge. Part of me wonders if she's thinking of ditching me. Suddenly, I hear an alarm go off across town.

"So, what-" I don't let her finish the sentence as I zoom off. It only takes a handful seconds for me to apprehend the men and tie them up for the police. According to the rules of me being a diplomat; I cannot be caught doing crime-fighting outside of protecting innocents in my immediate location. If anyone finds out I'm in Gotham City, there can be serious consequences for my actions. Satisfied with a job well-done, I speed back to Batwoman.

"Sorry, there was a robbery at a jewelry store and another at a department store that I had to handle." Batwoman gives me a curt nod then shoots off her grappling hook. She swings into the air without saying a word and I fly after her. Yeah, tonight is going to be a long night alright.

**X**

I grab my coffee from the barista and talk to Jimmy as I walk out of Beantasm. "I'm actually on my way to meet her."

_"I can't believe you got an interview with Detective Maggie Sawyer."_

"It's not official Jimmy. She just agreed to meet me for a late breakfast which is surprising since she's been avoiding me for the longest of time."

_"Why do you think that is?"_

"Not sure."

_"What are you going to do if she flakes out on meeting you again?"_

"I'll think of something. Besides, if it comes down to it there's always Wally?" Standing in front of me is Wally with a large smile and a bouquet of assorted flowers in his hand.

_"Wally? What does Wally have to do with anything?"_

"Nothing, he's here and standing in front of me. I'll um, I'll call you back Jimmy."

_"Okay. Bye."_ I close my phone and frown at Wally. The last time I saw him, we were fighting and I told him we needed to talk. I'm sure he still remembers.

"Wally, what are you doing here?"

"Can't a guy say hello to his girlfriend?"

"Not if said guy is supposed to be working with a certain group. Or that he is in a city that neither he nor she lives in."

"I'm sorry to surprise you like this Linda. I just needed to see you. I know I flaked on dinner and I'm sorry for that." Knowing what happened before and after dinner, I know I have no right to get mad at him.

"It's okay. There's always tonight." Wally lights up when I say that but I only feel guiltier. He doesn't know it but I'm planning on breaking up with him tonight. I don't like that I have to do it but it's for the good of both of us.

"Where are we having dinner?"

"My place. Gotham Towers, apartment ten fourteen." Wally frowns at this. He knows Gotham Towers is where the rich live.

"How did you get an apartment at _Gotham Towers_?" The disdain in his voice is evident. He knows the only way I could be living in such a place is if Bruce is paying for it.

"Bruce bought it for me several years ago."

"So you live there rent free. Did you choose the apartment or did he?"

"He did." The more I say the deeper Wally's scowl gets.

"Of course…" I would tell Wally that living in the apartment beats staying at Bruce's mansion. But knowing him, he would ask why and the last thing I want to do is tell him what happened the last time I stayed the night at Bruce's. Besides, living amongst the rich has its perks. They don't talk to you unless you make money close to the seven figure range and those who do talk love to gossip. And boy, do you find out a lot when they do.

"Look Wally, I have a meeting with Detective Sawyer, can we talk more tonight?" His scowl only lightens slightly when he realizes I'm meeting someone on a professional level. He stands in front of me with his scowl until it softens into a depressed look. He hands me the flowers then gives me a gentle kiss on the lips.

"I'll see you tonight at seven." I watch as he walks away at normal speed. It's not until I go to smell the flowers that I realize I'm crying.

**X**

Maggie Sawyer wanted to meet at a small Chinese place called Madame Woo's Authentic Chinese Restaurant. As bad as the name is, I can attest that the food is amazing and authentic. Or as authentic as you can make it with what the owner has to work with in the States. The actual owner is a man but his sister plays the role of Madame Woo. I remember the first time I came to the restaurant. Maggie had just finished a nasty kidnapping case where the child was killed before the transaction could take place. She was beating herself up about it when I came to her apartment and told her I was going to take her out.

As far as I knew, I was the only one she was still in contact with from Metropolis. Her ex-partner Turpin only called every so often and don't even get me started on her ex-girlfriend Toby Raines. Anyway, I brought her to the restaurant and we ordered food and talked about everything but the case. But I knew it was sitting there in the forefront of her mind.

I remember at the end of the dinner when the waitress brought us our check and Maggie asked where the fortune cookie was. Without warning, Madame Woo was standing in front of her and chewing her out; saying that fortune cookies were not authentic and that if Maggie wanted one she could go to another hack of a Chinese restaurant. When Madame Woo and the waitress walked away, we both looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Later on when I took her home, we sat on the couch and she told me about the case. Mid-way she started crying. I comforted her the best way I could and when she was cried out, I put her to bed. That night, I went on patrol with Batman and we caught the men who had killed the child. I was so mad I almost shot a hole through the man's skull with my heat vision. Thankfully, Bruce and Tim were there to keep me at bay. Of course, that didn't stop Bruce from being particularly rough with the man when he dropped him off at the police station.

I sit down at Maggie's and my usual table when the waitress whose real name is Sarah, brings me a note. "She called five minutes before you arrived. Sorry Linda." I look over the note. It said what I expected, that she was busy and couldn't make it.

"Of course. She's always busy."

"Do you want me to get you anything?"

"No, I'll just leave. See you around."

"Bye Linda." I leave the restaurant mad and a little sadden. This isn't like Maggie to avoid me. Something is going on and I'm going to find out what.

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******What do you think? Let me know.**


	10. Chapter 10

After getting dissed by Maggie, I went grocery shopping for my dinner with Wally. Instead of making a new dish, I decide to make the same thing I did for the dinner he missed. Thinking about that night draws my thoughts to Jason Todd. After I got back from Themyscira, I gave Roy Harper a call to see if he knew where Jason was.

Roy Harper was the first sidekick and original Speedy for Green Arrow. While working for the green archer, Roy got addicted to cocaine. Oddly enough, his accountability partner was Waylon Jones or as he is commonly referred to, Killer Croc. Though Batman kept his thoughts to himself, I always admired Waylon for helping Roy get through his use of drugs and thoughts of suicide. Of course, the whole killing people ruined any admiration I had for him, though not completely.

Two years ago, Roy retired from crime-fighting and committing crimes to start his own archery school in Bludhaven; though he sometimes does small jobs with Jason or Starfire when the risk is minimal. He even married an ex-villain named Sid. They have one child named Heather and another on the way. When I asked him about Jason, he told me he hadn't seen Jason since he came back from his visit to Metropolis.

"Sorry Kara," he said.

"That's okay. But I guess I have to thank you for the fact almost everyone knows about Jason and me kissing."

"What? Look Kara, I never told Waylon or anyone. Jason was the one who told people." I sighed. I should have known Jason would be the one to tell people about it. "Hey girl, you're not getting involved with him again, are you?"

"No Roy. I won't go there again."

"Good, because I don't care how hot you think he is." I laughed at that while he continued speaking. "Jason is bad news for a woman like you."

Roy was right. Getting involved with Jason, in any way, was and is a bad idea. Besides, I have to tell Wally about the kiss when I break-up with him; it's only fair.

On my way home and while putting away the groceries, I think over how to begin the conversation that will end my relationship with Wally. I only get as far as how to start the heart-breaking speech. There was no use thinking any further because Wally has the habit of interrupting people while they speak. After I finish putting away the groceries and picking out my outfit for the night, I get a text message from Lucy Lane.

**Hey chica. Give me a call. ~ Luce**

I slide open my phone and dial her number. The phone rings four times before Lucy picks it up.

_"Hey Lin! How have you been?"_

"Fine. I'm home right now putting away groceries."

_"You usually don't go grocery shopping on weekdays. What's up?"_

"I'm having dinner tonight with Wally."

_"Really? Then how come you don't sound very excited about that?"_ I didn't realize my dismay was so evident.

"I'm breaking up with him Luce. Tonight." There's silence on the other end of the line for a short moment before Lucy replies.

_"I see. How long has this been in the works?"_

"Since I first went to Washington." The line goes silent again as Lucy tries to figure out how long that is.

_"You've been thinking about this for a month?"_ I nod, forgetting Lucy can't exactly see me. _"Wow. Does he have any idea?"_

"When I returned to Metropolis after the Bialya-slash-Qurac talk, I told him we needed to talk but Jimmy interrupted us. It also didn't help he found out Jimmy and I finished lunch five minutes before he showed."

_"Ooh. Jimmy has always been a touchy subject with Wally."_

"Don't I know it?" Lucy laughs on the other side of the line and goes to say something but a deep male voice interrupts her. I can hear them talking but don't bother to use my super-hearing to get the details. Some conversations should be left private.

_"Sorry about that. I'm at work and my boss just caught me."_

"If you're at work then why did you ask me to call you?"

_ "I got bored."_ I laugh then say goodbye to Lucy, promising to call her later tonight. _"I will be awaiting your call then my dear."_

"You're such a dork."

"_Only with you." _With that, Lucy hangs up. Suddenly, my phone buzzes with another text. I expect it to be Lucy sending me some goofy message but it's one of my informants. He wants to meet me now. I rarely get called to meet any of my guys during the day time. Whatever he wants to talk with me about, it has to be important.

I leave the apartment and call a cab. One screeches to a halt and I give him the address of the coffee shop Barbara and I were at yesterday. As he drives down the streets of Gotham, I look out the window at building after building. The traffic is surprisingly clear considering it's just after lunch time and people should be rushing to get back to work…well, maybe not rushing.

The heat doesn't affect me but I can tell how hot it is. People are fanning themselves while they walk down the street. When the cabbie turns the corner and drops me off at the café, I notice the area around here is cooler.

I think about when I met Katherine Kane as I pass the café. It was nice meeting her but I enjoyed working with her even more when she was Batwoman. Her methods are similar to Bruce's except for her liking to make sarcastic comments often. She also has a tendency to not show as much restraint as Bruce does.

During patrol, I would sometimes catch her watching me out of the corner of my eye. I'm not sure if it was because she never worked with a super before (though I'm sure she worked with Wonder Woman) or because she distrusted me. I can't blame her if it's the latter. Bruce acted the same way around me when I first showed up on Earth. He figured I was a strategic tool to be used in bringing about the downfall of Superman. In fact, I was almost that very thing when Darkseid kidnapped Superman, Superboy, and me years ago. Thankfully, Batman, Wonder Woman, Power Girl, and Green Lantern rescued us from Apokolips but not without severe repercussions for me.

I shake the dark thoughts away and turn the corner when I get a text message from my source.

**Change of plans. Meet me at the new place. ~ Drake**

Drake is my main Gotham informant. He is awesome at getting me the information I need. If he wants to change location then whatever he has for me has to be dangerous. Based upon what investigations are on the top of the list for the GCPD, I have a suspicion he wants to talk with me about Intergang. I slip my phone back in my pocket when I see a familiar shape standing outside of a closed store.

"Hey Kate!" I don't know what drives me to call out to her but it's too late to take it back now. She heard me and is looking at me like she's trying to place a name to the girl waving at her like an idiot. I cross the street and stand in front of her. "Hi Kate, remember me? We met yesterday at the coffee shop. I'm a friend of Barb's."

"I remember you." She reaches out and shakes my hand.

"Cool, I was walking down the street when I recognized you by your red hair. What are you doing standing outside a closed store?" I hate it when I meet new people as Linda. I always sound like some high school kid or an obnoxiously preppy person.

"I'm waiting for the previous owner to come and give me the keys."

"Oh, are you opening your own shop?" I shift my bag from one shoulder to the other. I let the weight sway my body a little to keep up the Linda Lee-Danvers facade.

"Yes" I raise an eyebrow at her lack of words then smile.

"You're not much of a talker are you Kate?"

"Not with people I don't know." I laugh and stick my hands in my jacket pockets.

"I know what you mean. Sorry, I'm just curious. Which helps me do my job but most people don't like when I start firing off questions at them." I see Kate relax, which makes me smile wider. The great thing about the Linda persona is that I'm able to speak with people and make them feel comfortable around me.

"I know what you mean." I laugh at her use of my words then realize I still need to meet Drake at the warehouse.

"Look I've got an interview to go to. It was nice seeing you again Kate." I turn to walk away when Kate suddenly grabs my arm. I can see she is surprised by her own action as much as I am. Not wanting to stay in this awkward position, I turn back to her so I'm facing her.

"I'm sorry I just wanted to ask you something," she says.

"Oh, okay." Her face goes blank and I realize she's forgotten what she wanted to ask me.

"Can I have your number?" The question is blatant and catches me off-guard.

"Sure." I've never had anyone ask me for my number so out of nowhere before. I can see why people don't do it often; it's awkward. I pull out a pen from my breast pocket and hold her left hand while I write my number on it. As I hold it, the hand starts to shiver. I'm not sure what to make of it so I push it to the back of my mind for another time.

When I finish writing my number, I look up to see Stephanie Brown walking towards the two of us from behind Kate. She lifts a finger to her lips so I won't warn Kate she is sneaking up behind her. In order to distract Kate, I wink at her and smile.

"There you go. I'll see you around Kane." When I walk away, I don't look back but I do hear Kate let out a small yelp as I turn the corner. The high-pitched squeak makes me smile as I call for another cab to take me to the warehouse.

**X**

The warehouse is a building once owned by Oliver Queen. He sold it to Bruce after Artemis retired from the superhero business. Wally did the same thing so he could be with his then girlfriend. After Barry Allen was killed, he had to leave retirement and take over the mantle and Artemis respected him for that but with her sister Jade, aka Cheshire, coming back into her life, Wally's and Artemis's relationship took a toll for the worse. The two broke-up seven years ago but everyone knows she still loves him.

The last time I spoke to Artemis, she was training the new Speedy, Mia Dearden, in Star City. Wanting to be close to the younger archer and her mentor Green Arrow, Artemis sold her Gotham apartment and moved to Star City permanently. Her mother was heartbroken about it but proud that her daughter was moving from student to mentor. When I spoke to Oliver five months ago, he informed me that Speedy was joining the Teen Titans and Artemis was starting a new job working for Oliver as his head of security. I knew people would find it odd that a small blonde woman would be the head of security anywhere but that is what makes Artemis great; she always blows away people's expectations.

"Hey Lee." I pop out of my thoughts as Drake comes out of the shadows. For some reason, Bruce thought it would be nice to create a maze from the boxes of unused Wayne Tech in all of his warehouses. I also swear every time I'm in one the maze changes.

"Hey Drake. What you got for me?"

"This." His gloved hands pull out a blank, white envelope stuffed to the max and hands it to me.

"Should I open it here or later?"

"Here" I open the flap and pull out the papers in it. They're a list of bank transactions and tax forms.

"What's this?" Drake readjusts his Metropolis Shark's hat, which he only does when he's irritated, and answers me.

"You know how Colonel Kane holds a fundraiser every year for those homes for battered women and the ones for veterans?"

"Yeah?"

"He's been lying about where the money is going." I frown then take a closer look at the paper work. He's right. Colonel Kane _has_ been lying about where the money has been going.

"Where did you get this…?" Drake is gone. I try not to let his disappearing act bother me as I leave the warehouse. After I hail another taxi and get in, I look over more of the papers Drake handed me. According to his information, it looks like I have a very good reason to answer the phone if Katherine Kane calls me.

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**So, what do you think?  
Leave reviews and let me know.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Now this is my longest chapter yet. I hope you enjoy.**

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Everything is ready. The food, the wine, the dessert, me; nothing could spoil such a beautiful setup, unless of course you're using it to break up with someone. When I left my meeting with Drake, I went back home to get dinner started. I even called Kate Kane and asked her to meet me but she didn't answer her phone. Mostly, I spent the day cooking and trying hard not to think about what I was going to do tonight. I sigh and sit down in my chair.

"Hold it together Kara. Your night hasn't even started yet." There's a slow knock at the door and I pray it isn't Jason Todd again. I look through my peephole, pull back, and look again. It's not Jason Todd but it's not Wally West either. I open the door and stare at my neighbor from down the hall.

"Missus Meriwether, what are you doing here?"

"My, aren't you dressed nice? I need to borrow a cup of sugar."

"Seriously?"

"Of course seriously! Baking is a serious matter." I sigh and let Mrs. Meriwether in while I go and get a measuring cup to fill for her. "You've decorated sweetie. May I ask what for?"

"Dinner with my boyfriend," I say while pulling out a bag of sugar from the cabinet.

"I see. No one makes a dinner this special unless it is for a very good reason...or to get sex."

"Missus Meriwether!"

"What? Just because I'm in my eighties doesn't mean my husband can't excite me in the bedroom anymore."

"Please stop." I quickly fill the cup and take it to her.

"Dearie, this is two cups not one."

"That's okay. It will keep you from coming back." I push her out the door and to the direction of her apartment.

"Have a good night Linda. And have fun with your boyfriend," Mrs. Meriwether says with a wink. I quickly close the door and lean my head against it.

"That conversation will never leave my brain. Ever." I move away from the door but stop when the knocking starts again. "I told you Missus Meriwether," I say while turning the knob. "I gave you two cups of sugar for a reason…"

Standing in front of me with a large bouquet of roses in his hand is Wally. "Do I have a reason to be worried?"

"N-no, d-definitely not." Wally smiles and leans in to give me a soft kiss on the lips.

"Good, because the only person you should be giving sugar is me." I roll my eyes and take the flowers away from him. "Wow Linda! It's beautiful in here."

"Did you expect disgusting?" I ask from the kitchen.

"No of course not. Then again, this is Gotham Towers." Uh-oh, I know that tone in his voice. "Has, uh, Bruce Wayne ever visited you here?"

"No" I can see Wally relax upon my answer but only slightly.

"I guess that makes sense. Also it might cause rumors to fly if he does." I release and tired breath and put the flowers in a vase I pulled out from under the sink.

"Wally, I don't want to talk about Bruce Wayne. This dinner is about us." Wally opens his mouth but takes a pause before replying.

"You're right. I'm sorry Linda. It's just…as much as I want to pretend you don't have a connection to almost every member of Batman Incorporated, I can't. And I can't keep pretending it doesn't bother me that you and Jimmy have so much history."

"Wally…" I move around the kitchen counter and take Wally's hands in mine. "Then don't pretend. You're right that Bruce has always been there for me, that Dick is as much a friend to me as he is to you, and that Damian Wayne has had a crush on me for years but won't admit it."

"What about Jason Todd?" Wally looks at the ground before finishing. "What about the kiss you two shared?" I sigh then let go of Wally's hands before sitting down on a kitchen stool.

"I can say he caught me by surprise but we both he shouldn't have." I look at Wally to see he's looking back at me. "But Jason Todd is only a pest. He's not the problem."

"I know…I am." I shoot up from my seat and place a hand on Wally's right check.

"No, Wally you have done _nothing_ wrong. You never did. Yes, you semi-pestering me to take the next physical step bothered me and your jealousy ticked me off at times but all-in-all it's not you, it's me." Wally lets out a snort and sits down at the dining room table, letting his head fall on his hands.

"Like I haven't heard that before."

"Maybe you have, but this time it's true." I pull a chair in front of Wally and sit down. Suddenly, his head pops up and he looks at me wide-eyed.

"You haven't worked with Batwing before, have you?"

"Once, when the League had some issues to handle in Africa but I never directly spoke with him."

"What about Batwoman? I heard she's a lesbian." I raise an eyebrow at him.

"And?"

"And she's a redhead. We both know how much you like gingers." I roll my eyes and try not to laugh, though the redhead part is true.

"Wally," I scoot my seat closer and look him dead in the eye, "I have not, nor am I, nor will I ever be in a lesbian relationship with Batwoman or anyone else."

"You never know."

"Wally, stop it." Wally runs his hand through his hair, which was neatly combed back when he arrived but now has strands sticking up in odd places.

"I'm sorry Linda. I love you and that makes me jealous sometimes."

"Wally, I love you too."

"You're just not _in_ love with me." I take Wally's hands again as I lock eyes with him, even though I feel the need to runaway creep up in me.

"Wally, there are things I love about you. And if anything ever happened to you I would be in pieces…but you are right, I'm not in love with you." I feel Wally's hands tighten around mine.

"Then it's official. We're over." This was not how I pictured the break-up to go at all. I thought we would be eating by now and I would ease my way into the dirty deed. I run my fingers through his hair again and rest my hand on his left cheek.

"I'm sorry Wally. This is not how I pictured this to go, and though it sounds _extremely_ stupid right now, you will find the woman for you. I'm just not her." Wally leans forward and rests his forehead on mine.

"Then who is?"

"I think you know." We stay like that for a long time before I lean back from him. "You hungry?"

"Linda, you don't have to feed me."

"Uh, hello I am _not_ eating this food by myself." Wally smiles and leans back in his chair.

"Well, when you put it that way." I laugh and grab the wine out of the fridge.

"Linda, why did you go out with Jason?"

"I wouldn't have called us dating or him my ex-boyfriend. It was more like he was a make-out buddy than anything else."

"Okay, TMI." I laugh then walk back to the dining room and hand the wine to Wally.

"Sorry." I pull sit back down in my chair before continuing. "Look, Jason was a distraction for me and that was the problem. I used all the guys I ever dated as distractions. And that's not fair to you nor was it fair to the others."

"Was Jimmy a distraction?" I think about my answer carefully before giving it to Wally.

"He became a distraction after Darkseid." Wally nods his head to show he understands then pops the wine. I hand him our glasses and he pours the red liquid into them.

"Did Bruce buy this for you?"

"No, I did."

"Oh, so this cheap wine." I push him in the shoulder again but not too hard. The last thing I want to do is clean red wine out of the tablecloth.

"You are such a jerk." Wally laughs then hands me my wine before corking the bottle.

For the rest of the evening Wally and I talk about work and what we did that day. I always liked how Wally was fascinated with my job as much as he liked that I was fascinated with his. I think he knew few people had an understanding of energy and chemicals to the level he does.

You wouldn't think after breaking up we could sit together and be civil, but it only made me realize how mature the two of us had grown to be. Plus, I don't think either of us was as emotionally invested in each other as we thought we were.

When dinner comes to an end, the conversations grow more sporadic and trivial. Wally is the first to say it's time for him to leave and I don't argue back. I walk with him to the door and open it for him. He steps into the hallway but stops and turns back to give me a fierce kiss. I can feel his fingers quiver as he holds me in place and I know it's not because he wants to move them to my hair. He pulls away then rests his forehead on mine.

"Goodbye Kara," he whispers before walking away. I watch him until he disappears through the doorway that leads to the stairs. As I stand in the hallway, I feel something hit my dress and realize I'm crying. I don't bother to wipe the tears away or move into my apartment. No one prepares you for the moment you break someone's heart. No one tells you that when you do it, your heart breaks too.

I snap out of my reverie and go inside because my cellphone is going off. The number is foreign to me but I answer it anyway. "Hello?"

"Hey Lee. I got something for you." It's Drake on the other line.

"What?"

"You saw the news right?" He's talking about the news report Vicki Vale did on the witness the GCPD had taken into protective custody.

"Yeah?"

"It's a fake cake kiddo. They already delivered the pie." I roll my eyes at Drake's use of analogies but play along.

"So why ya callin'?"

"Double delivery is going down tonight. Magpie's life is on the line because your friendly neighborhood Shadow Man will be there." The ridiculousness of Drake's speech is pushed aside when I understand he means Night Shadow is preparing to attack tonight. This means Maggie is going to be in danger, which equals me doing a little late-night recon.

"What do you suggest Drakey?" I hear a sigh on the other side and smile.

"Get ready. You have an hour until the job." With that he hangs up and I speed off to get dressed in something more appropriate for a late-night stakeout.

**X**

I pay the cabbie and get out five blocks away from the Gotham City Police Department. As soon as he is far enough away, I slip into an alleyway and travel the back way to the alley behind the department. Behind it is a tall empty building where I know I can get a good view of the transport. When I'm close enough, I climb up the fire escape outside a bakery and get on the roof. The roof of the building behind the GCPD is in view, when I notice a shadow crouched over watching the back alley.

When the form shifts I catch the sight of red hair. I don't bother repressing the smile on my face at knowing who that is. Deciding to be a bit ornery, I float an inch off the ground and fly over to her. I land maybe four feet behind her and watch her as she adjust the binoculars she's using.

"You know they already moved him right?" Batwoman flips around and tries to roundhouse kick me. I duck down but when she brings her foot around again, I let myself fall back, which causes my glasses to almost fall off my face. I look at Batwoman and fix my glasses before putting my hand out for help. She doesn't move.

"You know, you're not as friendly as Batgirl or Nightwing. You, Batman, and the little Robin are the more stoic, stand there types." I twist my back then stand up while wiping the dust off my butt and legs.

"Wait, you said they already moved him. Is that true?" I look at her and fix my glasses again.

"Of course it is. The news report done by Vicky Vale was a fake. Well, actually it was true just a few days behind."

"Why?"

"To throw off Intergang."

"Do you think it worked?" I scan the area around us then catch movement on the neighboring building. I grab Batwoman by the arm and yank her down behind a brick half-wall.

"Shhh" I point to the building next to us. She slowly turns and peeks around the wall to try to see what I saw. When she looks back at me and opens her mouth I stop her by placing a finger on her lips and pointing back to the building. Batwoman pulls back from me then looks again. I pull my notebook out of my bag and scribble a few sentences on it before reaching around her. Batwoman looks over the message before writing her reply and handing the notebook to me.

**Night Shadow, a little redundant don't you think? Is he human or meta-human?**

I chuckle at her attempt at humor and write my reply again. According to Drake's text message he sent me on my way to the department, the witness will be moved at exactly 11:30 pm. I shift closer to Batwoman then hand her the notebook again.

Batwoman reads the message then reaches behind her and I take the notebook back. I prepare to stay out of her way and float off the ground to move six feet back. Batwoman looks behind her at me but doesn't say anything as she puts her attention back on Night Shadow. He hasn't moved since he positioned himself for the kill. From the angle he's aiming the gun I can tell he'll be aiming for the driver. Batwoman might not know this so I put the information and a theory of mine on paper and rip it out of the notebook. Batwoman flinches when the balled up paper hits the back of her head and lands at her feet.

She picks up the ball then unravels it when another thought hits me. He has to have seen that Batwoman and I are crouched here. I throw another ball of information at Batwoman and wait to see what she does. She shifts her body and reaches in the space between her back and cape. Just to be irritating I throw another ball at her with a piece of advice on what she can do.

I smile and give her a wink when she looks at me like I'm stupid. Suddenly, the back doors of the police department open. Both of us look over the ledge and see two uniformed officers and a young-looking detective, clearly from Metropolis, escort a man with a hood over his face. They move cautiously as they get in the car but not before the detective checks under the car and hood for any explosive devices; he even checks the trunk. Personally, I think it's too late for that but I guess there is no harm in being extra cautious.

When the four men are in the car, it starts moving forward slowly. Just as the hood aligns with the corner of the dumpster I see Batwoman react. In one swift motion she throws her weapon into the tire. It blows out and causes the car to swerve over to the left. I hear the shot before I see it. For me, everything moves in slow-motion as I watch the bullet hit the car. I have a decision to make; expose myself or go after Night Shadow. I choose the latter. Using my super-speed, I take off and aim for Night Shadow.

I slow down and plant my feet as Night Shadow plows into me when he tries to get away. I grab ahold of him and speed off to a place I know I can interrogate him safely. But as I move he grabs a metal bar and slips out of my hands like mist again. I stop and stand in the alley, confused and desperately trying to find Night Shadow but being unable to track him.

Realizing I've left my things back on the roof, I sigh and try not to let my failure get to me as I climb the ladder. When I finally have my backpack in hand, I peek over the ledge at Batwoman trying to help the police. The two uniformed officers are moving the shot detective inside with the "witness." Maggie Sawyer and Batwoman are talking quietly when Maggie's eyes narrow and she starts screaming her head off at Batwoman.

I laugh at the mess in front of me. The car slammed into the dumpster, Maggie pitching a fit, Batwoman yelling back, and several officers coming out of the department to see what the heck is going on. When Batwoman fires off her grappling gun, I take that as my cue to leave. But before I go home, I decide to make a little pit-stop at a certain cave to speak with a certain computer-savvy redhead.

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******Please review. It would make me oh so happy if you did. :} (This includes constructive criticism.)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Evening beautiful people. Here is another lovely update.**

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Barbara takes off her glasses and runs a hand through her red hair. "Wow, just wow."

"I know right? Other than losing Night Shadow and the break-up with Jimmy, this has been a pretty great night." Barbara's gives me a sympathetic look and places a hand on my knee.

"How did that go?" I sigh and sit back in my chair.

"Not how I expected but it was okay. No yelling, no throwing things, it was a rather peaceful exit."

"How do you feel?" I think about it for a moment.

"I'm not sure. Relieved that I'm no longer stringing Jimmy along…"

"But upset that you no longer have him to lean on."

"Yeah…but I'm okay. It is high-time I let myself be single. After Jimmy there was that thing with Jason, then with Brainiac Five, and then Wally. I haven't given myself a chance to be single in a while." I look over at Barbara and notice the grossed-out look on her face. "You okay?"

"I-I still can't believe you and Jason were an item."

"I wouldn't call us an item just make-out buddies."

"Ew..." I laugh and lightly smack Barbara in the knee.

"Hey, we both know Jason had a huge thing for me way back when he was Robin."

"Still, it's weird."

"I know." Barbara and I sit in silence while she finishes going over patrol procedures with Batgirl and Robin. I knew I needed some face-time with my best-friend so I changed into my Supergirl uniform and landed in the cave quietly, not that it mattered since Barbara knew I was on my way. You have to hand it to Bruce and his ability to set up great security.

"_Oracle, we have a problem."_ Starling's voice yanks me out of my thoughts.

"What is it Starling?"

"_Well, I was doing my thing. You know? Lookin' hot and badass." _I roll my eyes but don't comment. _"Well, a few nasties decide to hit on Canary and I. That was fine, though boring, until one of them decided my butt was a stress toy. And you know how I like a guy to buy me a drink-or-ten before he gets handsy."_

"I'm well aware of that Starling. Is there anything you want to add to your play-by-play?"

"_Yeah, two of the four guys were Hatter's men. We thought the Bat-brats might wanna pick 'em up."_

"_Batgirl_ and _Robin_ are busy." Barbara looks at me then smiles before continuing. "But I could send Supergirl."

"_I thought she was in DC?"_

"No, she's here and available." The line goes silent and I tilt my head and raise an eyebrow at Barbara. She smiles and holds up a finger to signal I need to wait and see what she is up to.

"_You know what? I think Di and I have this covered."_

"You sure? I'm positive Supergirl would _love_ to come and help."

"_Really, it's okay. The last thing I need is a distraction."_ Now I get what Barbara is up to. It's no secret Starling has a girl-crush on me. I actually find it flattering since it tells me Starling has some level of admiration for me. And after what I did five years ago, it's hard to find those who sincerely are still on my side.

"Explain."

"_Do I have to? Between the golden locks and tight uniform it's hard to think straight. No pun intended."_

I can't hold in my laughter any longer and let out a few giggles. Evelyn picks up on them. _"What was that? Oracle, is she there?"_ The giggles turn into full-blown laughter and I can't help it anymore. _"Dammit Oracle, this isn't funny!"_

"Oh but Starling, I _love_ hearing what you have to say about me," I say through Barbara's intercom.

"W-I-I didn't mean it." I can just picture Evelyn blushing while trying to redeem herself. It's easy to get under her skin; almost as easy as when she tries to get under my skin when I'm Linda.

"Look, do you want my help or not little bird?"

"_No thank you _baby blue_, Di and I got things covered. Oracle, we'll meet you back at the tower."_

"Very well, see you then Starling." Barbara starts laughing as soon as Evelyn goes offline. "You have to admit, it is fun getting under Ev's skin."

"Maybe, though I think I should apologize to her as soon as I can. I know what it feels like to be teased."

"You can do so after you get back from DC." Barbara notices my confusion and clarifies. "Wonder Woman called while you were out doing your Linda thing. The League no longer needs her so she'll be able to go back to the Kazakhstan issue." I sigh again and stand up.

"When does she need me?"

"She didn't say but she_ did_ say Martian Manhunter needs to see you, though she wouldn't say why." I know the reason J'onn needs to see me, it's about Kara In-Ze.

"That shouldn't take long. I'll be back in no time." I'm about to take off when Barbara stops me.

"You know, with you spending all this time in Gotham people might start speculating things." I narrow my eyes at her and cross my arms.

"Speculating what?"

"That you're here for one reason." I don't need Barbara to vocalize what she thinks the reason is but I push her to do it anyway.

"And what would that reason be?" Barbara takes the Bluetooth device out of her ear and rolls her chair back.

"I think you mean _who_."

"Babs, don't start."

"Why not? You and Bruce have been dancing around each other for years. Isn't it time you two define your relationship?"

"No because there is nothing to define." That's a lie and Barbara and I know it. Bruce and I _have_ been dancing around the idea of us being more than colleagues, or friends, or whatever the heck we are. But now is not the time for relationship defining.

"Really? Because a hot kiss and a certain someone coming from the future told me otherwise." A part of me hates that I told Barbara about the kiss Bruce and I shared two years ago. The other part I also hate is how she knows about Jonathan, though that can't be helped.

"Considering Jonathan never said who his parents are, I think that card is out of the hand."

"He had Bruce's eyes Kara."

"No, he had brown eyes that could have either been Bruce's or_-_"

"Or whose? Damian's? Jason's? Dick's? They all have brown eyes. Who in the Bat family did you sleep with Kara?" I pull back my left hand quickly but stop. The fear in Barbara's eyes and the way she reached for the remote on her belt only reaffirms what I know to be true. Ever since I went nuts five years ago, everyone has been on edge around me. Even my best-friend can't be close to me without worrying I might go off my rocker.

"Goodnight Oracle. I'll call you when Manhunter no longer needs me." Before Barbara can reply, I fly away.

**X**

The following morning, I make a stop before going back to DC. It's the Westfield Cemetery, a ten square acre piece of land seventeen miles outside of Kansas City. I'm sitting at the foot of a familiar grave when I feel her come up behind me.

"I figured you would be out here."

"How did you know?"

"Channel Eight caught a glimpse of you flying over South Dakota."

"Careless me."

"I'd say so." Lana Lang sits down next to me and places a hand on my shoulder. "How long has it been? Since the funeral?"

"A year. Maybe a little more."

"You know, I'm sure Derrick would love to see you again…so to speak."

"I'm sure you're right." We sit in silence at the foot of my best-friend's, Mary-Lou Jones, grave. She died of a brain tumor a little more than a year ago. I still cry at night when I think about her. "Lana, are you proud of me?"

"Kara, of course I'm proud of you. How could I not be?"

"I don't know. Maybe because of what happened after Apokolips or…or…I don't know." Lana wraps an arm around me and I rest my head on her left shoulder.

"Oh honey, things have been so hard on you, haven't they?" I pull away from her and look into her bright-green eyes.

"I'm scared Lana." She brushes a strand of my brown hair back and wipes away my tears. I didn't even realize I was crying.

"Of what?"

"The future." She stops what she's doing and looks me in the eyes before pulling me in for a hug.

"You're not the only one Kara, you really aren't."

**X**

I don't know if it's because of the recent change in my physiology or because I know what is coming up ahead for me, but I've been rather emotional lately. I'm pretty sure I'd rather blame the former for it, though I know the latter is more likely the reason for my meltdowns.

After my arrival in Washington DC, I called private investigator John Jones. We meet behind a Starbucks and walk to the top floor of a building under construction. J'onn has always maintained a certain level of paranoia. One that almost rivals the level Bruce always carries with him. "Is this really necessary John?"

"Yes," he says before handing me a manila folder. "That is the current information regarding Kara." Inside the folder is a blank paper with a red, hollow square in the upper-right corner. I press my thumb to it and the paper comes to life; displaying the symbol for Watchtower on it. I tap on a folder in the upper-left corner of the screen and files concerning Kara's welfare come up.

"She's getting stronger."

"Much stronger. She was conscious yesterday."

"Really?" I can't help the smile on my face. Kara waking up is an extremely good sign.

"It was only for five-point-two seconds but that is significant."

"Yes, it is. When can I see her?"

"Not today. Tomorrow. I have a few experiments I would like to try out and I will need your help for them."

"Of course but what about Kazakhstan?"

"Megan has volunteered to take your place."

"Why?"

"Clark felt your services would be better suited in the rehabilitation of your cousin."

"I see. What about our friendly-neighborhood assassin?"

"We have a number of undercover agents keeping watch."

"Let me guess, Clark didn't come up with this Bruce did." J'onn does not physically smile but I do see it in his eyes.

"You have grown to be intuitive Linda."

"No John, Bruce has grown to be predictable." The smile disappears and a pensive look replaces it.

"Are you saying you know how he thinks?"

"No of course not, but sometimes…sometimes I know what he's thinking or if it's his idea. I think it's because we've been working together for so long."

"Bruce, Clark, and Diana have worked together longer and even they are not quite on the same wavelength as you are with him."

"Huh…what do you think that means?"

"I am afraid that is a question I cannot answer for you." The wind blows around the two of us and I watch a screw roll across the floor.

"You know what John? I think you're right."

**X**

To distract myself from Kara In-Ze, Bruce, Barbara, and practically anything else that causes any level of anxiety to rise up in me, I decide to go for a late-night flyover of Gotham City after a brief patrol of Metropolis. I'm making my second pass over Gotham First National Bank when a certain redhead running across the roof catches my eye. I descend towards her, making sure she has a good glimpse of me before flying next to her while she runs.

"It's really not fair," she says after jumping over the external entrance to an air duct.

"What isn't?"

"That you can fly."

"It's not like I can suppress it Batwoman. My flying is just as much a part of me as your red hair is to you." She laughs at this and I know why. To cover up the real length of her hair, she attached a wig to her mask. I think it's quite ingenious but I know Bruce doesn't approve of his female partners letting their long hair flow; with the exception of Cassandra Cain who kept her short black hair inside her cowl.

"I thought you were in DC."

"You're not the first person to say that." Batwoman flips onto the roof of another building and stops for a fraction of a second to pull out her grappling gun and take off into the air. I follow right behind her, making sure my flying doesn't interfere with her trajectory. "Where are you going?" I ask her when she lands. "I've scanned Gotham twice now and the only thing I've seen is a mugging that Robin stopped, a little roughly might I add."

"I need to keep in shape."

"Fine. Train if you must but keep in mind that moving like this will exhaust you before a real baddie shows up." Batwoman stops abruptly and tilts her head while looking at me.

"Baddie?" she says while crossing her arms.

"Culprit, bad guy, miscreant, perpetrator, I can keep going if you want me to. Heck, I can even change languages." Batwoman smiles at me.

"You know, TV doesn't do you justice." I feign surprise.

"You mean….you mean the media doesn't always properly portray people. I'm shocked, shocked I say." Batwoman laughs and I can't help but smile, that is until I pick up the sound of an alarm going off.

"What do you hear?"

"Alarm, five blocks north-east from here."

"Bernard's Fine Jewels."

I float off the roof and look down at Batwoman. "So, you ready to take down some baddies?" I say with a wink.

"Like you had to ask." Batwoman shoots off her grappling hook again and once more I follow her to where we're needed. As we make our way to the store, I can't help but think I like being around Batwoman. Being with her is easy in some aspects, and I begin to wonder if I'll like being around her when she's Kate Kane too.

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**Pleeeaaase comment. Comments makes me ridiculously giddy and when I get giddy, I write fluffy fun stuff. Hee-hee.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey peoples. This update isn't much plot-wise but I think you'll like it.**

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Batwoman cringes when I take another piece of glass out of her leg. "How are you doing Batwoman?"

"Fine. You know, I figured someone made from glass would break easier."

"She's not made of glass, she controls it."

"Same difference." I look over Batwoman's shoulder and see Shard is still unconscious. "You could have warned me."

"I did. I said to stay back but you had to be the hero."

"It's who I am." I pull a long piece of glass out of her leg too harshly and she cringes.

"Sorry. And it's not who you are, it's what you do."

"Do you really believe that? Do you really believe Supergirl is what you do and not who you are?"

"Who I am is Kara Zor-El. My powers are a part of me but they do not define who I am. I could have become a villain for all you know."

"If I remember correctly you almost did." I take a pause from what I'm doing and make eye contact with her.

"You're right. I almost lost myself in the dark."

"See, _you _almost lost _yourself _in the dark. That says you're meant to be in the light, which means you're a hero not a villain."

"If I'm following your logic correctly, no, who I am, is a girl from a planet long gone who found a home amongst humans. Even that is only a fraction of me. What a person does or where they're from does not define them. People are far more complicated than that."

"Where were you during my teen angst era?" I laugh.

"Lost in space… Anyway, Shard shouldn't be defined by her powers. She's not a criminal."

"Really, then why did she shoot glass at me?"

"She's sixteen years old and scared. You can't blame her for freaking out when you jumped out of the shadows like that."

"I didn't jump."

"Oh, sorry, _slinked _is a better term." I can't fully tell but I think she raises an eyebrow at me. I make no effort to continue the conversation and pull the last piece of glass out of her leg. "Do you have anything in your bat-belt to help with the bleeding?"

"Yeah." As Batwoman fixes her leg, I go over and check on Shard. Shard's real name is Elisabeth Clark. Her mother died when she was five and her father died two years later. I met her during a murder investigation as Linda. She took to me quickly and I found myself quite taken with the petite blonde girl too.

Anyway, after Batwoman and I stopped the robbers we started patrolling again. Shard was sneaking into the back entrance of a Hollister when Batwoman spotted her. Once I realized who it was I tried to warn her but Batwoman wouldn't listen. I let her learn the hard way what Shard could do then intervened after she knocked her out.

"Lisa…Lisa it's me." I tap her right cheek and she begins to stir.

"Kara?"

"Hey sleepy-head. You wanna tell me why you were breaking into a Hollister?" I help Shard sit up and lean her against a dumpster.

"I needed new clothes."

"You know Linda said she would help you with that."

"I don't want to owe her anything."

"Oh Lisa," I sit down next to her and put a hand on her knee, "you know Linda doesn't care. She wants to help."

"I know. I just don't like owing people things."

"No, you just don't want to humble yourself for five minutes and ask for help. That darn pride of yours is getting in the way." Shard rolls her eyes and tries to get up. I catch her when she falls down again. "Looks like Batwoman hit you a little too hard."

"I don't blame her. I did stick her leg with enough glass to make two windows." We watch Batwoman stand up and support herself with the wall. "Is it just me, or is she not as bad-ass as you would think?"

"First, watch your mouth and second, you do remember how she moved when she took you down, right?" Shard lets out a small growl that makes me smile.

"Don't remind me." Batwoman pushes off the wall and starts walking over to us.

"Do you remember where Linda lives in Gotham?" Shard nods. "Good, head there and tell the doorman you're a friend of Linda Lee-Danvers. He'll buzz her and she'll let you up."

"Is it a good idea to surprise her?"

"You're the best kind of surprise she could want." Shard's face breaks out into a wide smile and we stand up together when Batwoman stops in front of us.

"Thank you Kara. Sorry about the glass Batwoman, you kind of freaked me out when you slinked out of the shadows like that." Batwoman doesn't say anything but I know she's irritated. I suppress a smile and say goodbye to Shard.

"Is it a good idea to let her go?" Batwoman asks once Shard is gone.

"She'll be in good hands."

"May I ask whose hands?"

"A friend." I can tell Batwoman does not accept my answer by the way she purses her lips.

"Are you scared she'll become a villain?"

"Elisabeth lived a difficult life. She bounced around from foster home to foster home for six years because of her ability. When she finally found a family they were killed by Mr. Freeze. Since then she's been wandering the States. I can't help but feel everything is stacked against her."

"Sounds like a job for Supergirl."

"No," I look down at Batwoman and smile, "not a job, a privilege." I turn away from her but catch the sight of her mouth curling up slightly from the corner of my eye before taking off into the sky.

**X**

Knowing Elisabeth was on her way to my apartment, I said goodbye to Batwoman and headed towards my building. Just as I land on my balcony and start stripping, the doorman buzzes me and asks if I was expecting company in the form of a young woman. I tell him yes and to send her up. I'm in my pajamas when Elisabeth knocks on the door. I check to make sure my hair turned to brunette then open the door after putting my glasses on.

"Hey…mindifIcomein?" I smile and open the door wider for her to come through. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Shard stands awkwardly in the middle of my living room. "Do you want the bed or the couch?"

"C-Couch."

"I'll get you some PJs, though I doubt they'll fit you very well." Elisabeth shrugs then sits on the couch. After I grab the pajamas and bring them to her she starts changing in the living room. To give her some privacy, I go to the kitchen and grab two apples and an orange. By the time I finish slicing them, I can hear she's finished changing. "You still like oranges?"

"Not sure. Haven't had one in over three months." I set the bowl of fruit on the coffee table and sit across from Elisabeth who's sitting in the middle of my couch with her hands folded on her lap.

"Lisa, what's wrong? You've been jumpy ever since you walked in. What's going on?" She realizes what her hands are doing and reaches for the bowl.

"To be honest, it's weird being in an apartment like this. I feel like I'm violating it."

"Why?"

"Because this is so…so not me." I lean back and watch as Lisa takes a bite out of a slice of apple.

"It's not me either."

"Then why you livin' here?"

"Because it beats living in downtown Gotham."

"But that's okay for me?"

"That's not what I meant. No one should have to live in those conditions. _Ever_." Lisa finishes off the apple slice and grabs another one. "Lisa, why are you here?"

"Kara told me to come," she says with apple in her mouth.

"Where did you meet Kara?"

"In an alley?"

"What were you doing in an alley?" Lisa mumbles her answer out after shoving a piece of orange in her mouth. "I'm sorry, say that again?"

"I was breaking into a Hollister and she caught me. Well, Batwoman caught me and she was there."

"Lisa…"

"Don't you dare judge me Linda. The last thing I need is you reprimanding me."

"I'm not judging you Lisa. I want to know why you were there. You know you can come to me and what about the women's shelter?"

"You don't know? It's closing down."

"What?"

"You heard me. They're barely staying afloat."

"How do you know this?"

"I eavesdropped." If I can keep her on the right track, there's a good chance she'll make one heck of a reporter someday.

"What about the money Colonel Kane has been sending?"

"What money? He hasn't sent them anything in three years." The information Drake gave me is true. Colonel Kane has been lying about giving the women's shelter in Gotham money. I feel my temper rise but try my hardest to take a few breaths before getting up from the chair. "Linda, what are you doing?"

"Making a call." I dial a familiar number and hear four rings before he picks up the phone. "Hey Ollie, are you going to be in Washington tomorrow? ...Good, I need to meet with you…Call me when you get there and I'll tell you then…Afternoon is fine. We'll talk during lunch…Okay, see you then…No, I haven't spoken to her in a while. She's busy with Barbara after-all…Goodnight Oliver." I hang up and turn to Lisa.

"Hey kiddo. I'm going to be in Washington D.C tomorrow. There's food in the fridge and cupboards. And if you need anything Missus Meriwether is still down the hall."

"How long will you be gone?"

"Two days. You think you can take care of my apartment for that long?" Lisa spreads out on the couch and winks at me.

"I'll be the best damn apartment-sitter you'll ever have." I lean over the couch and take a piece of apple from the bowl.

"You will be if you watch your mouth." I kiss the top of her head and she whines and pulls away.

"Eww, Linda cooties." I throw a chair pillow at her. She catches it and throws it back but I duck out of the way.

"Come on wild thang. It's late and you need your beauty rest." Lisa grabs the bowl and pops off the couch.

"If the amount of sleep equals how beautiful you are," she picks up the pillow and drops it on the armchair, "then you're gonna need a few years." Lisa giggles and runs towards the bedroom.

"Okay, you are _so_ dead." I grab a pillow and throw it. She squeals right before it smacks her in the kisser.

**X**

I didn't even realize I was staring into my coffee until my waitress came up to me and asked if I was trying to read the coffee beans. "Ha, no…I just have a lot on my mind."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure but thank you for asking."

"You're welcome." As she stands there, I finally get a good look at her. Her name is Veronica and she looks old enough to be a student in college. She has auburn hair, sandy-brown eyes, and is maybe 5'2" give or take. "Hey um," she looks around at the packed coffee shop then sits across from me, "can I ask you a question?"

"It's a free country." She rolls her eyes.

"It depends on your definition of free."

"True." I smile and take a sip of my coffee. "What do you wanna ask?"

"Do you ever feel like an alien in this world?" I don't know whether to cry or laugh at her question. "I know that's a totally weird question to ask but I feel like I can ask you this."

"To be honest, I've rarely felt human."

"Right? It feels like you're from another planet."

"You have no idea."

"How do you make it go away?" I think about the question carefully before answering.

"People. People who you love and who love you in return." She's surprised by my answer.

"I like that. People."

"Veronica!" yells a young man standing at the counter with his arms crossed. She cringes and sighs.

"Looks like you're needed."

"Yeah, looks like it." Veronica stands up and heads to the counter but stops and turns back to me. "If you ever want to talk or whatever, give me a call." She pulls out a pen and writes her number down on a napkin. "Later." I try to hide my surprise when she winks at me and goes back to work.

"I swear you get more numbers than Bruce and me combined." I smile and look over my shoulder at Oliver.

"Can't help it. It's the eyes."

"I think it's the hair. You got that hot mess thing going for you." I look down at my boots, jeans, and knit shirt while running my hand through my thick, brunette curls.

"I think I'm more mess than hot."

"Not according to _Veronica_."

"Shut. Up." Oliver laughs then takes his sports coat off and drapes it over the back of his chair.

"I'll be back."

"I should hope so." He smiles then goes to the counter to order. Veronica is there with a look of disappointment on her face. I wink at her and she pretends to be busy in order to hide her blush. Too easy.

Oliver must have noticed because he chastises me when he comes back. "Don't lead her on."

"I'm being friendly."

"Friendly is a smile, not a wink." I sigh when I realize he's right.

"Sorry. It's not fair to do that to her."

"Especially since you're not into girls."

"Point taken." Oliver reaches down and fiddles with his briefcase. He hands me an iPad and directs me to a file.

"This morning after you called me, I looked into what you told me and you're right. He's been neglecting them for three years."

"Looks like he's kept the money at the same amount but sends it only to the Veterans home."

"He has to be using someone to cover it up. But I want to know why he's doing it. It doesn't make any sense."

"I'm sure the colonel has his reasons and I don't really care. I'm more concerned with keeping the women's home open."

"Same here and I'm sure once we tell Bruce, he'll feel the same."

"What's your next step?"

"I'll speak with my accountant. She and I will come up with a plan together." I finish off my coffee and frown.

"Isn't that Dinah?" Oliver smiles and lounges back in his chair.

"Yeah." I laugh and set my mug at the edge of the table. "What are you going to about the colonel on a person-to-person level?"

"I've met his daughter a few times. When I get back to Gotham I'll give her a ring."

"Sounds like a plan." Veronica is speaking to an older couple behind Oliver but I can tell she's listening to our conversation. Oliver picks up on this as well. "How's Wally?"

"Not sure. I haven't spoken with him since we broke up."

"I heard about that. How are you feeling?"

"Glad I'm not stringing him along but I do miss him. Wally is a nice guy and a pretty good kisser." Oliver makes a face and drinks his coffee.

"I did not need to hear that."

"You asked."

"Not about _that_." I laugh and Veronica comes over to our table.

"Is there anything I can get you?" she says while picking up my mug.

"No thank you."

"What are you going to do next?" I don't know why Oliver decides to ask that with Veronica standing next to us but I have my suspicions.

"Take a break from dating and enjoy time with friends and doing work."

"Good and maybe you'll make a few new friends along the way." Oliver motions to Veronica with his eyes and I resist the urge to roll mine.

"Maybe." I smile up at Veronica and she blushes before asking Oliver if he wants anything. When he tells her he's okay she walks away. She looks back at me and we lock eyes briefly. She blushes again before disappearing around a corner.

"I still think it's the hair."

"Nah, it's totally the blue eyes. No one can resist the eyes."

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**I hope you liked the fluffy update. The next one will have heavier stuff.**

**Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukah!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys. So, not only is this one of the longest updates for me but one of the oddest I think. Also, I realize I'm taking things way too slow. I'm on chapter 14 and I've barely scratched the surface of the Kara/Kate relationship. It's time to put things into full-throttle on focus more on that then filling in blanks. I know you guys like that I fill in the spaces but I feel these updates are burying the purpose of this story.**

**Again, I do not own any DC-related characters. I only own the original ones. Thank you**

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After lunch with Oliver I go back to the JLA lab where Kara In-Ze is being held. At the moment, only Martian Manhunter, Poison Ivy, Wonder Woman, and I are here. J'onn is making sure the machines are working correctly before he goes back to Watchtower. Ivy is permanently living in the lab until further notice while creating new formulas that will nourish Kara's body. Diana pops in when she can to check up on Ivy and to see if Kara's status has changed. It's good to see the three of them again and odd to see them at the same time.

I'm experimenting on a piece of rock Superman brought back from the planet Kara was on when I feel a presence come up behind me. "You shouldn't sneak-up on me."

"I figured you weren't too absorbed with your work not to know I was behind you."

"Barely." The heavy scent of ivy and lilies washes over me as Ivy sits down on my right.

"You've been staring at that rock for over an hour." I don't need Ivy to add more to the comment to know what is going on through that brain of hers.

"I'm not avoiding her Ivy. It's a little hard to with her twenty-five feet away."

"You can be six inches from a person and still be able to avoid them Kara." I let out a sigh but keep my focus on the rock. I hate it when she uses my words against me.

"This rock is one of many samples Kal brought back from the planet. It may hold part of the key as to how it survived the destruction of our red sun."

"Kara might know."

"I'm sure she does but as you can see she's in a coma. Until she wakes up, these rocks will have to do."

"Kara, please…" Ivy's voice has taken on a soft quality. She only does this when she's trying to get me to open up. I break my eyes away from the microscope and stare into Ivy's green eyes. "Talk to her."

"I did this morning,_ all_ morning, _and_ when I came back. I'll keep talking to her until she wakes up but I can't let that hinder the research Ivy. You of all people know how important research is." Ivy's nodded then stood up.

"Yes, but the value of a life far outweighs the value of science. I wonder who said that." I hate it when she throws my words back at me, especially when she badly paraphrases them.

When I first told her that, I was talking about human contact and relationships. I was trying to bring Ivy back to humanity any way I could. Harley Quinn was in the hospital because of a Joker heist gone wrong. She was in critical condition and Ivy was the only one there to make sure she was alright. Joker sent her flowers but the fact Ivy risked her freedom to see Harley showed there was a seedling of humanity still in her.

As Linda and as Supergirl, I did my best to help Ivy let that seedling grow. She has come a long way since then and though her plant abilities are as strong as ever, so is her human side. I doubt Ivy will ever be able to let go of her plant side completely because it has become such an integral part of her. One day, I do hope she will let go enough to show the cream-colored skin that hides underneath all the green and black.

Before I go back to the rock, J'onn says goodbye to the three of us. As soon as he's gone, Ivy tells Diana and me that she'll be powering down soon. It makes me uneasy knowing Ivy will be the only one in the lab in case anything happens but there isn't any reason for me to stay other than to give Kara some company. The machines were designed by J'onn and Bruce to allow them to function with only one person running them. Besides, if anything does happen the designated teams will show up to help.

"Come on Kara, let's go get some rest. The rock and your cousin will be here tomorrow," says Diana. She knows I can go days without sleeping but I'd rather shut down my mind for a short while before coming back to work on the rock sample.

"Okay Di. Let's go." By the time we're done cleaning up, it's half-past midnight. Diana and I change into our civvies then leave the "abandoned" warehouse. "How's Steve?" I ask as we get in her car.

"Fine. He's on a mission in Greece to tie-up loose ends."

"How is it over there?"

"Rough, Greece is bankrupt and they're not particularly fans of Americans right now."

"I can see why with a lot of it being our fault. Is it true Greece may lose the right to call itself a country?"

"Yes."

"That's messed-up."

"You're telling me." The rest of the conversation revolves around life outside the League. I keep the subject of Colonel Kane vague and Diana understands it's not something she needs to know a lot about.

"Once Bruce gets back, we'll talk about the next step."

"And you're going to use this Katherine Kane to get to him?"

"To be honest, I don't need her but using her might help in case my plan goes south."

"Hm." I know that disapproving tone.

"Okay, what is it?"

"I don't like you using people. Katherine is human and you must treat her as such. If she finds out you're using her then the situation could implode on you. My advice would be to leave her alone. Continue on with the story but leave Katherine out of it. Please." I think about Diana's plea carefully. She's right by saying I should only get Katherine involved if need be.

"Okay. I'll leave Katherine Kane alone." Diana smiles at me.

"Good." The car ride continues in silence and neither Diana nor I bother to break it.

**X**

After Diana and I get to the hotel, I get a call from Barbara to come to Gotham. She has new information on the location of the Mad Hatter. I talk with Diana about going and she says it should be okay. In less than ten minutes, I'm flying over Gotham City with Oracle speaking to me in my right ear.

_"Robin and Batgirl are utilizing the information while Batwoman is doing a wide patrol. I need you to join her again."_

"Okay, I see her." Batwoman is swinging from a building, her red wig fluttering in the wind as she arches up and lands on the ledge of an adjacent building. She's ready to take off again but stops when she sees me flying towards her. "How are you Batwoman?"

"Can't complain." I land a few feet from her and walk along the ledge with her. "Oracle told me you might be coming."

"I'm merely here as back-up, like usual."

"Sounds like you don't like that."

"It's not that I go looking for fights but I much rather use my powers in an offensive manner than a defensive manner."

"Meaning you're just itching for some big bad to break-out so you can beat them senseless." I stop walking and Batwoman notices. "What?"

"Are you a Buffy fan?"

"The Vampire Slayer? Yeah, why?"

"Because you sounded like the character Faith there."

"I did? Huh…wait, how would you know that unless you're a fan too?" I smile and float around her so that I'm the one leading her across the ledge. "You're not going to answer me, are you?"

"Nope."

"Nice." When we reach the corner of the ledge I face Batwoman.

"Batwoman may I ask you a que-" The sound of breaking glass interrupts my train of thought.

"What is it?"

"Not sure." I use the sound to triangulate where it could have come from. I focus on an apartment complex and see a woman picking broken glass off the floor. "Never-mind, false alarm."

"And I thought we were going to get some action tonight."

"The night is young." Batwoman fires her grappling hook and takes off through the air. I watch her swoop down and up and land on another ledge with the grace of a trained dancer. She does it again before I actually move from my spot. As I watch her move in calculated swoops and arcs, I wonder if I would be able to move the same if I was human.

**X**

It turns out Batwoman and I did get some action that night. Only minutes after taking a pause on a dilapidated apartment building, I heard a sound more significant than breaking glass. The Mad Hatter and his gang were making a move on an antique store. Oracle had given me a heads-up about the place, saying it held a mint-condition, original edition of _Alice in Wonderland_. Since I was technically supposed to be in Washington, I gave the information to Batgirl and Robin then watched as they took down the Hatter and his posse. I returned to Washington before Batwoman and the rest could thank me.

During the following two mornings, I focused on Kara In-Ze and getting her to wake up from the coma. Her vitals were very strong and according to her brain diagnostics she should be awake. Yet Kara wasn't waking up. It was like something was holding her back. I didn't know what but I was set on doing the research to find out, as was the rest of the group. I figured the answer lied within The Leech, considering her body was reacting but her brain was quiet. Superman took it to his fortress for analyzing and told me he would call if his computer found anything unusual or unique.

It's the night before I go back to Gotham and I'm sitting in Diana's hotel room. After she discovered I hadn't slept since my second morning in D.C. she made me stay in and rest. It doesn't work because I'm mentally wired even if my body is physical tired. Okay, let's pretend that didn't rhyme. I'm flipping through the channels when a thought pops in my head. I dig through my dirty clothes and find what I'm looking for rather quickly. It was shoved in the back pocket of my jeans. I dial the number and after a few rings she answers.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Veronica, remember me?"

"_Linda? Wow, didn't think you would call."_

"I don't think you're supposed to say that."

"_Right. Um, so what do you want?"_

"I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at the coffee shop where you work."

"_I'm actually here now. It's my night to close up."_

"Great, I can meet you there."

"_Wait. Can I at least get changed first?"_

"I don't mind if you're in your uniform."

"_I do. I'll meet you half-an-hour after closing. We close in fifteen minutes by the way."_ I'm glad she answers the question before I could ask it. Forty-five minutes later I'm showered, dressed in an acceptable manner, and waiting outside the coffee shop. The streets of Washington D.C. are surprisingly quiet this late at night; not something I expected. I close my eyes and take in the noises and smells of my surroundings.

Bad idea.

The sounds of high-pitched laughter, heated conversations, crying women, gunshots, cars starting, televisions blaring, and everything else mundane rushes in without filter. I try to shut it out but I can't. The pain of the world is too much and I grip my temples and slump down to the ground. It's too much. It has to stop. Why can't I make it stop? MAKE IT STOP!

"Linda!" Veronica's voice cuts the noise off and I open my eyes to find her kneeling in front of me. "Are you okay?" Her eyes shine brightly because of the moonlight and I can easily see worry in their sandy-brown color. I've never seen that color in a human's eyes before.

"I-I'm fine. Just a headache."

"A headache made you clutch your head and fall to the ground?" The disbelieving look in her eyes warns me not to lie to her but it's not like I can tell her the truth.

"I'm fine really." Veronica takes my left arm and helps me stand up. The rush of noise and lack of sleep makes me stumble slightly. To her, it's just another human action. To me, it means something is terribly wrong. "So, what do want to do?" She raises her left eyebrow then frowns.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Okay…there's a new arcade seven blocks from here. I've only been there once but it's really nice. We could walk to it if you want?" She wants to walk to an arcade?

"Veronica, how old are you?"

"Twenty. You?"

"Twenty-eight."

"Wow, you don't look a day over twenty-two."

"Good genes."

"I'll say." We don't say much from there. I let Veronica lead me in the direction of the arcade. Somewhere along the way she interlocks her arm with mine and I don't bother to remove it. With how I'm feeling, a little human contact will be good for me.

**X**

"I can't believe you won that." I laugh and give my giant panda a gentle squeeze.

"I told you I could." Veronica rolls her eyes and takes another spoonful of her ice cream.

Once Veronica and I got to the arcade, she took me to every game she could. We played shooting games, racing games, darts, go karts, and even Dance Dance Revolution. I have to say, she gave me a run for my money on the last one. That was when I found out she wanted to be a professional dancer. From there, I learned she was from northern New Jersey and she had a seven year-old baby brother named Danny. Her parents separated when she was ten but remarried seven years later and have been fine ever since.

I told her how I was adopted at seventeen after living with my foster mom for a year. After graduating high school, I went to Metropolis University where I met Barbara. She was fascinated with how my cousin Clark and I became reporters without knowing the other existed. We spoke the entire time about our lives, the expectations we had and still have for them, and what our goals were. It was nice being able to open up to her. The funny thing was I didn't even know her last name.

"Excuse me?"

"What's your last name?" I ask again.

"What's yours?"

"I asked first." She sighs and throws her empty ice cream container in a trashcan we passed by.

"It's Lake." I take a mental pause and frown before replying.

"Quick question. You wouldn't happen to be related to Linda Lake, would you?"

"Yeah."

"The reporter."

"Yeah, she's my cousin."

"Of course she is," I mumble under my breath. Unfortunately, Veronica heard me.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's nothing personal. I just don't think she's a good reporter."

"Because she writes for the Inquirer?"

"Amongst other things." Veronica stops walking and stands in front of me. I know she's trying to be intimidating but it's hard to do when I tower over her.

"Look, I know my cousin can be nasty at times but she's not that bad. Except for the time when she almost got that reporter put in jail for a murder she didn't commit."

"Oh yeah, I remember." Veronica gives me a crooked smile before continuing on with her speech.

"Okay, this is the part where you tell me what your last name is."

"It's Danvers." Veronica's smile slumps down into a frown.

"You wouldn't happen to be _the_ Linda Lee-Danvers of the Daily Planet?"

"Is there another?"

"Oh my gosh," Veronica runs her hands through her hair and steps away from me, "I'm on a date with the woman my cousin almost put in jail."

"Hey, I'm over it and technically this isn't a date." She catches the last part and removes her hands from her hair.

"Then what is this?"

"A distraction." Okay, wrong thing to say because Veronica's suspicious look is now a hurt one. "I didn't mean it like that. I have a lot on my plate and I needed a breather. My friend Diana wanted me to chill-out in my room but I'm not one for TV. You were the best choice."

"Oh, well that makes it better." I move the panda from one side to the other and push my glasses up my nose.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to."

"I'm not hurt Linda, I'm disappointed. I heard what you told your friend but when you called I hoped-"

"You hoped I had changed my mind." She gives me a sheepish smile and shrugs.

"Yeah." I moved towards Veronica and wrap my free arm around her shoulder.

"Oh kiddo, what I said to Oliver is true. I'm only looking to relish in my friendships." I tilt my head down so I can look her in the eyes. "And maybe form some new ones along the way." I give her by best crooked smile to try to cheer her up. She smiles back but the look of disappointment is still in her eyes.

"I guess." I kiss the top of her head and lead us the rest of the way to her apartment. It is three blocks from the café, which explains why I never saw her car or a taxi pull up to the café. We're standing in the doorway of her building when I hand her the bear. "Is this your way of getting out of a goodnight kiss?" I roll my eyes then lean down and kiss her on the left cheek.

"That's not what I had in mind."

"Tough." She sighs and leans against the wall.

"You know, if you're not into me you can just tell me."

"I am into, just not in that way."

"Is this your subtle way of saying you're straight?"

"Labels are for cans, not for people. But yes, I'm only into guys."

"Bummer." I lean forward and give her shoulder a gentle shove. "How long will you be in D.C?"

"I'm leaving in the morning."

"Double bummer. Will I ever see you again?"

"If I'm in D.C I'll give you a call. Otherwise, if you're ever in Gotham or Metropolis give me a ring. I'll answer." The slight blush creeping up her cheeks doesn't go unnoticed. I give her another kiss on the cheek and say goodbye. She goes into her building and I wait outside to make sure she's in her apartment before checking my surroundings and super-speeding away.

Tomorrow I have a redhead by the name of Katherine Kane to deal with. Yippee.

* * *

**I don't know why, but this ending makes me cringe. What do you think?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry it's not as long as the other updates. I'm trying to get to the in-depth Kate/Linda interaction as quickly as possible. **

**Please review. It makes me happy and it tells me what you want to see or not see, and what you like or don't like. Thank you.**

* * *

When I open the door to my apartment, the smell of burnt bacon hits my nose like a punch. "Please tell me it's supposed to smell that way," I yell as I close the door behind me.

"Linda?"

"No, Supergirl." As soon as my bags hit the floor Elisabeth plows into me. I allow her to knock me back a few steps so she doesn't hurt herself. "Morning kiddo, what's for breakfast?"

"Scrambled eggs and poorly cooked bacon." She pulls back from me but keeps her arms loosely wrapped around my body. "I thought you weren't coming back until closer to lunch?"

"Wonder Woman wrapped the final proceedings up last night. With nothing to do I caught an earlier flight back." A big smile stretches across Elisabeth's face as she lets go of me and runs to the kitchen.

"I wish you would've told me you were comin' home so soon. I would've put more effort into not burnin' the toast." She turns off the stove and pulls the skillet off the burner.

"I'll keep that in mind next time you're babysitting my apartment." When she sets the last piece of bacon on the paper towel covered plate, I grab a small piece. Elisabeth watches me as I chew the crunchy meat. "Not bad." She smiles and turns to put the skillet in the sink, giving me the chance to super-speed to the bathroom and spit the bacon in the trashcan.

"How was Washington?" she asks as I sit down.

"Nice. Made a new friend. Her name is Veronica Lake." Elisabeth grabs two plates from the cabinet and divides out the eggs and bacon equally.

"Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Her cousin is Linda Lake, the hack reporter who accused me of murder." Elisabeth starts choking on the spoonful of eggs she was chewing.

"You're kidding."

"Nope." She wipes the eggs off her chin with a paper towel then takes a sip of orange juice.

"Small world."

"Tell me about it."

"Ooh, forgot the ketchup." Just as the words leave her lips she drops the morning paper in front of me. The newspaper is the Gotham Gazette and it's open to my article on the peace talks. "You wanna tell me why you gave your article to them instead of the paper you _actually_ work for?"

"Perry has a much better article that's appearing in the Metropolis edition of the Daily Planet. And though Gotham has its own branch of the Planet, I figured I throw the Gazette a bone." She closes the fridge and hands me the red bottle.

"That's oddly nice of you and completely out of the blue."

"Not really. I owe someone something."

"Let me guess, I don't get to know the name of that someone or what that something was."

"Yep." We continue breakfast in silence. The eggs are good and the rest of the bacon is better tasting than the piece I took earlier. When both our plates are clear, I ask her what she has planned for the day. She surprises me by telling me about her new job at the Glass Factory in East Gotham. It's known for producing beautiful bowls, vases, wineglasses, and artwork made from glass and crystal.

"I can't believe you got a job there."

"They were planning on reporting me to the police because of the whole breaking-in part, but after they saw what I could do they agreed to let it go if I worked for them. They won't pay me for the first week of work but that's okay." We talk about work while she gets dressed. I mention to her about the Colonel Kane story I'm working on and the Intergang story; though I leave the details of the latter out.

Elisabeth is ready to leave when she asks me if I want to do anything with her in the afternoon. "I'll think of something for us to do, but for now I need to focus on a new project."

"Perry hasn't given you a new assignment yet?"

"He wants me to take two days off. The Kane story is a surprise for him."

"When does Perry White let his reporters take days off?"

"It is a un-Perry thing to do. To be honest, he's been sweet to me recently."

"Think something is going on?"

"Not sure. I'll call Jimmy though to see if he knows anything. You get off at three, right?"

"Yeah"

"Good. There's someone I need to see first but afterwards we'll go out and have some fun."

"Sounds like a plan." Elisabeth gives me a kiss on the cheek and leaves. Since Elisabeth and I cleaned up the kitchen and I have nothing pressing to attend to, I decide taking the time to patrol is a good idea. I leave the apartment and head to the roof of my building…or right below it. Gotham Towers used to be an old office building in the 1940s. Bruce Wayne turned it into an apartment complex. Though he modernized the entire building, he kept the outside architecture the same as the original design.

Just below the roof is an oddly designed alcove. When I first found it, I thought it was going to be a belfry but Bruce told me he could use it to look over Gotham City. This is where I change and keep my clothes when patrolling. Seeing how quiet Gotham is early in the morning, I checkout Bludhaven, Central City, Star City, Manhattan, Metropolis, Los Angeles, and keep my ears and eyes open for any situations that call for some super-action.

During the patrol, I run into Hawk and Dove, Hawkgirl, a Green Lantern, and other heroes whose names escape me. Sometimes I forget about the number of protectors Earth has. At times, it feels like Superman and I are the only powerful people on the planet. According to Batman, we may not be the only aliens but could possibly be the most powerful beings anywhere. I think that scares Bruce, knowing what I'm capable of. I don't blame him. After I lost it years ago he's been on edge around me but recently he's been treating me differently.

Speaking of Bruce, he called me this morning. The message was cryptic but basically said he is going on a mission for the JLA. When he gets back, he wants us to have a serious conversation. Serious conversations plus Bruce equals alone time with him. Usually I'm okay with that but I've been having trouble lying to him. He knows I am and I know it hurts him. You would think by now he would have a second layer of skin protecting him but apparently not.

**X**

When I get back to Gotham, it's close to lunch time. I decide to surprise Elisabeth by making her lunch and taking it to her. Her lunch hour isn't until 1:30 pm so when I get there she tells me to put it in her locker. I get to watch her work on a glass swan the size of a baseball before I get a text from Drake. He has a file for me and tells me it will be at a certain address by a certain time.

I leave Elisabeth to her work and head to the address Drake texted me five minutes before I leave. The location is an alley behind a jewelry store in West Gotham. I make sure no one is watching me as I slip in the alley and look for the dumpster with my information. There are two behind the store. I use my x-ray vision and see the envelope is taped to the bottom of the dumpster farthest from me. Getting on my hands and knees, I reach under and grab the manila folder. Not wanting to look at the information later, I open the folder and look at the paperwork Drake got me.

"Bingo. I have you now Kane."

**X**

Around 3:30, Elisabeth meets me at the diner Barb and I like to eat at. We grab a few pastries and coffee before heading for Katherine Kane's shop.

"What kind of shop is it?" Elisabeth asks before taking a large bite out of her croissant.

"She never said."

"Didn't you try using your charms on her?"

"No." Elisabeth smiles widely, which causes a few pieces of pastry to fall out of her mouth. "She seemed to be immune."

"Someone who's immune to the Danvers' charm…who knew?" I give her a slight shove and stop in front of Kate's store.

"It's a bookstore," I say thinking out-loud. I didn't know what to expect Kate's shop to be. Not a bookstore, that's for certain. The door opens when I turn the knob and a bell goes off as soon as I set foot in the store.

"I'll be with you in a minute!" yells someone from the back of the building. Elisabeth is looking around at the stack of boxes and books that litter the room.

"Wait right here." She nods her head and disappears behind a column of boxes marked consignment.

I figure the voice from the back belongs to Kate and I'm proved right. Seeing her legs sticking out from under a rusty desk puts a smile on my face because of how silly it looks. I'm about to introduce myself when I hear a bang and Katherine cries out "Dammit!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is that anyway for a lady to talk?" She jumps, now realizing whoever came in the door is watching her, and slides quickly out from the under the desk. When she sees me, she relaxes as much as anyone with a throbbing hand can.

"It is when she slams her hand into a metal desk," she says before sliding back under.

"I see" Since I rather talk with her about her father instead of watch her fiddle with a desk I set my bag on a chair and squat down to get a better look at her. "You have your work cut out for you, mind if I help?" I don't give her the chance to answer and cozy up next to her and take the wrench out of her hand. Due to how little room there is under the desk, I'm squeezed against Kate. I feel bad too because my left arm is practically clipping her nose each time I turn the bolt.

When the bolt is loose enough, I use my fingers to get the nut off. "How-how do you do that so quickly?" I choose not to answer her question just yet and place the nut on her stomach; she flinches at this.

"Sorry, I had nowhere else to put it." I wish I could put it somewhere else but with how little room there is under here, her stomach is the best choice. "When I lived in Kansas, I would visit my cousin's farm as much as possible. While there, his father would have me do odd jobs around the farm. One of them was to take apart an old tractor that needed to be fixed. I guess doing those odd jobs built up my hand strength."

"Don't you live in Metropolis now?"

"I do, but I still visit Smallville from time to time."

"Smallville?" I smile. People have a hard time believing a town is actually named that.

"Hah, that's the name of the town my cousin lived in. I actually lived in Kansas City." The third and fourth bolts are out of reach so I have to scoot down to get a better angle.

"Who's your cousin?"

"Clark Kent" Kate jumps and I realize my head is aligned with her stomach. My breath must be tickling the small bit of exposed skin. "Kate, are you okay. That's the second time you've jumped."

"Sorry, I had a spasm in my back." Really? A spasm? It doesn't take super-hearing to know she's lying.

"It must be from being under here for so long. How 'bout we get up and stretch?" I say after getting the last nut and bolt loose. Kate slides out from under the desk as fast as humanly possible. When I move, she reaches down to me and I grab her hand. Unfortunately, she yanks on my arm and my weight pulls her down to me. From there, time slows down and she hits her head against mine.

I wait for a moment for her to get off of me but from her lack of movement I think she's passed out. "Linda, I know you told me to wait but-whoa…" Elisabeth looks between me and Kate's unconscious form. "Linda, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Shut-up, she's not waking up. Help me get her off." Elisabeth sets her book-bag down and helps me get Kate onto the floor and off of me.

"What happened?"

"She tried to pull me up and I ended up pulling her down. I think she hit her head on the desk."

"Ouch. What do we do?" I study the unconscious Kate and think of a plan.

"See if you can wake her up. I'll call Barbara." I pull out my cellphone and leave Elisabeth to handle Kate. Barbara's phone rings five times before she picks up.

"_Linda?"_

"Hey Babs, it's me and I have a problem."


	16. Chapter 16

"Let me get this straight. She tried to pull you up but you ended up pulling her down and now she's unconscious. Why? Because she smacked her head against yours."

"Well, when you put it like that…" Barbara shakes her head and follows me to Kate's bedroom.

When I called Barbara, I told her what happened and that I needed to get Kate home. She gave me the address and Elisabeth helped me get her to the apartment. During the ride to the apartment complex, Elisabeth tried to wake Kate up. She stirred slightly, which is a good sign, but nothing more than a few noises in her sleep. If a person is knocked-out for too long it's an indicator of brain damage. But since she was making noises it was safe to say she was alright. Once we got to the building, we carried her inside.

As we plopped Kate on her bed, Elisabeth and I understood that our evening out was canceled. I was planning on taking her to dinner then to a play afterwards. Maybe I should stop making plans since they always seem to get interrupted or canceled. After Elisabeth helped me get Kate changed and settled in her bed, she told me she was going to run a few errands then crash at my apartment again. Barbara showed up half-an-hour or so after she left.

Barbara wheels closer to Kate and places a hand on her right shoulder. "Kate…Kate...wake-up Kate." The sleeping redhead opens her eyes a little then closes them and snuggles deeper into her bed.

"Looks like she doesn't want to wake up," I say with a laugh.

"Then we'll let her rest. If I were you, I would keep her under observation. The last thing I want to do is call Colonel Kane and tell him his daughter's in the hospital because she bashed heads with an alien."

"You and me both." We leave the bedroom and go to the kitchen.

"I should get going. The Birds are going to be busy tonight and-"

"Barbara I'm sorry." She looks up at me over her glasses. I take mine off and crouch down so I'm looking up at her. "I'm sorry for lashing out and making it seem like I was about to hit you. I'm so, so sorry. I-I don't know what else to say." Barbara stares at me for what feels like forever before she brushes a strand of my brunette hair back.

"I went too far Kara. I brought up old wounds and a subject that you're not ready to deal with. I shouldn't have…I shouldn't have reached for the Kryptonite either. I was treating you like-"

"You did when I was crazy?" I give her a half-smile and take her right hand in both of mine. "It's not your fault. I let my temper get the best of me. And even though bringing up Jonathan was bad on your part that doesn't excuse me for reacting the way I did. I'm…I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Barbara takes a breath the smiles slightly. "I think it's safe to say we were both in the wrong, huh?"

"Yeah, but I was less wrong." Barbara raises an eyebrow at me. I give her my best smile to show I'm messing. Suddenly, she starts tearing up.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too." It doesn't matter who moved first. All that matters is the fight was over and I get to hug her again. When we break apart, Barb asks what I'm going to do about Kate.

"Do what you suggested. Wait until she wakes up." Barb nods her head then rolls back from me. I stand up and walk with her as she goes to the front door.

Before leaving she asks me, "You're not going to ask her about her father are you?"

"I think I should let her get her bearing first before bombarding her with questions of any kind."

"What are you going to do 'til then?"

"I think it is high-time Supergirl pays Detective Maggie Sawyer a visit."

**X**

Detective Maggie Sawyer had a long day. She chased three potential leads for two different cases that led her nowhere. Det. Bullock was angry about who-knows-what and was taking that anger out on her whenever he could. The Intergang case was as stagnant as dirty water and Kate hadn't answered her phone all day.

The only good part of her day was her coffee and knowing her key witness for the Intergang case was safe. Both of which took place this morning. On top of it, as her day went from good to bad she had the sinking feeling she was going to get an unwelcome visitor. So when she found Supergirl sitting on the couch in her apartment, she was only half surprised.

"I could charge you for breaking and entering," she says as she puts her gun back in the holster.

"You can try." A statement like that from a super-powered being can be taken many ways.

"So you think because you have powers and fly around with a big 'S' on your chest you're above the law?"

"No…besides, having an 'S' on my chest is better than having an 'A'." Maggie pauses for a second to figure out what she meant by that.

"You've read the Scarlet Letter?"

"I do read detective."

"I didn't say you couldn't. Did you like it?"

"The story was good."

Maggie puts her gun and badge away and grabs a beer from the fridge. "Is that your way of saying you didn't like the writing?"

"Run-on sentences aren't my thing."

Maggie smiles before popping the top off the bottle and leaning on her kitchen counter. Supergirl moves from her spot on the couch and Maggie takes this moment to give her an once-over. She likes that the blonde hero is no longer wearing her black uniform but the normal colorful one. "What happened to your covert uniform?"

"I only needed it to stay out of sight."

"And now?"

"Now I need to be seen, especially by Intergang." The smile on Maggie faces drops to a frown. "Have you ever heard of the meta-human Night Shadow?"

"Yeah. Rumor-has-it he's Intergang's newest assassin. What do you know about him?" Supergirl pulls a folder out from under her cape and hands it to Maggie. "Where did you pull this out of?" Supergirl's face remains stoic and Maggie decides to put aside joking for now. She opens the folder and fingers through the paperwork. Two of the papers confirmed the Night Shadow rumor to be true but the others offered up a different set of information. "Where did you get this?"

"I have sources." Maggie raises an eyebrow at the statement.

"You have sources? Superheroes have sources?"

"Detective, even _I_ need someone to be my eyes and ears at times." Maggie looks over the information again.

"Thank you. I've hit a rut with this Intergang investigation."

"I figured you had. Don't waste that information. A drug bust like this only comes a few times in a cop's career, _if_ they live long enough."

"Right, right…thank," when Maggie looks up from the folder Supergirl is gone, "you"

**X**

"We need to talk…" "I'm fine, _we're_ fine…" "Good morning Los Angeles…" "Beep! Beep! …" "Wakey-wakey eggs and bacey…" "Woof! Woof!" "Good evening senator…" "Um, I think this was a mistake…" I try to block out the voices and sounds of the world but it's useless. The only way to do that is to swim to the bottom of the ocean.

Last night I slept on Kate's couch. It's a comfortable couch but I'd rather be in my own bed. I open my eyes and kick off the blanket just to lay here and stare at the ceiling. Clark taught me a few breathing exercises to help me get my focus back and filter the noises out better. I go through them step-by-step until the noises turn into nothing more than mumbles; thousands of instances of mumbling.

Knowing I can't stay here forever, I get up and go to the kitchen. The clock on the stove says 6:22 am. I pour a glass of orange juice and check my cellphone. No new messages. I down the juice in one gulp and set the glass in the sink. Apparently, Kate hasn't done the dishes in a while because the sink is overflowing with them. Speaking of Kate, she's still asleep. I checked on her before going to bed at midnight and her vitals were fine. No brain damage either.

Not wanting to leave those dishes sitting there, I turn on the radio to the classical station and start cleaning. "She'll probably be hungry when she wakes up." Using my gift of double-tasking or single-tasking at high speeds, I find her skillet and start cooking her breakfast while cleaning.

As soon as the food is done, I hear the sounds of movement in Kate's bedroom. I pull a tray out from her Tupperware cabinet and prepare a plate of eggs and bacon. With one hand, I turn the water off and with the other I carry the tray. As I walk to Kate's room, the movement stops. I humor her and let her pretend to be asleep as I place the tray of food on her bed.

"You can stop pretending you're asleep now." Kate doesn't move but I know she can smell the food. "Fine, play dead. I guess I'm gonna have to eat these bacon and eggs all on my lonesome." As soon as I pick the tray up Kate's right eye pops open, then her left. It's cute.

I pretend like I don't notice her as she calls out to me. "Wait!" I stop and turn back to her with a big smile on my face.

"Morning sleepy head. How are you feeling?" She tries to sit up but the apparent pain in her head makes her lie back down.

"Better a second ago." I laugh and put the tray back on the bed. She cracks her back then sits crisscross while she digs in. I smile again and head to the windows. The smell of freshly baked bread accompanies the sound of birds singing once the window is open.

"Hold on." I look over my shoulder at Kate and see her making a face at her alarm clock. "Oh, that's not funny. Tell me that clock is wrong."

"I'm afraid not." I walk over to her and sit on the left side of her bed. "You banged your head pretty hard on that desk." When I reach up and touch her head Kate hisses and pulls back from me. "I guess it still hurts."

"You think?" Kate moans and flops down on the bed. She lets out another moan after laying her pillow on her face. "How did I get to my apartment?" I grab the tray and put it on the floor next to me. The last thing I need is for her to kick it over.

"After you fell, I checked you out. You were okay but it worried me that you weren't waking up. I guess the hit to your head was nastier than expected. Anyway, I took your keys and locked up the store for you. Then I took you home."

"How did you know where I lived?"

"I called Barbara and told her what happened. She gave me your address." Kate lets out another moan and I can't help but laugh.

"So you just tucked me into bed and left?"

"Of course not. I crashed on your couch waiting for you to wake up." She finally takes the pillow off her face and looks at me. Slowly, her eyes move down my body, pausing a little too long on my chest, and then continue down the rest of me that's visible.

"Hi," she says when she's back at my face. The change in mood catches me off guard but I smile anyway and push my glasses up my nose.

"Hello." Kate smiles at me then I watch as she realizes she's staring and wait for her to come back to reality. "Do you want to finish your breakfast now?" She nods her head slowly and I reach down to grab the tray. I feel the back of my shirt ride up and Kate lets out a squeak. "Katherine, are you okay? Your face is all red," I say after setting the tray on her lap. Kate turns a deeper shade of red. "Kate, I think you need to eat. If you turn any redder, your face will match your hair."

She stares at her food until the blood leaves her face then sits up. "That's a good girl." I leave so Kate can eat in peace but stop for a moment at the foot of her bed. She stops eating and looks up at me. "By the way, we need to talk. I was going to take you out for a late lunch-slash-early dinner yesterday, but the 'you being knocked out part' was kind of a hindrance."

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Eat. We'll talk about it after you get dressed." The feeling of the warm sun charging my body is nice. I reach above my head and stretch my whole body as I power-up for the day. Kate lets out another squeak and I pretend like I didn't hear it. Before leaving, I give her a smile and push my glasses up to their rightful place.

I have a feeling today is going to be interesting; especially if I spend it with the lovely Katherine Kane.

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******I hope you liked it. Please review.**


	17. Chapter 17

******I know this chapter is EXTREMELY long compared to the others but I'm trying to get the story done without doing 40 chapters, which will be the length if I continue at the pace I'm going. **

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I can hear Kate's shower running when my cellphone rings. Before it falls off the arm of the couch, I grab it and see who's calling me. "Hey Elisabeth. What's up?"

_"Nothing much. Just wanna see how your morning's going."_

"Fine. Kate's up. I gave her breakfast and she's taking a shower now."

_"That's nice, uh-"_ I pick up on a noise coming from Elisabeth's side of the line. It sounds like a voice,

"Elisabeth, who's there?"

_"No one but me."_

"Beth…"

_"Ooh, nickname. Um, okay…relax. He showed up this morning and claimed he's a friend of yours."_

"And you let him in? Beth you know better."

_"Yeah, yeah whatever. Look, he told me his name and since you barely talk about him I figured this guy's the real deal. Plus, the white stripe in his hair was a total give-away."_ Uh-oh. Not good. REALLY not good.

"Beth, get out of there."

_"But-"_

"Don't argue just do."

_"Oh, okay. I have to get to work soon anyway. Um, when…"_ Based upon the long pause, I figure Jason wrote something for her to read._ "…when should I tell him to meet you?"_

"Tell him to meet me at Central Park."

_"Will do. Oh, one more thing. You know that flat I wanted to sub-let?"_

"Yeah."

_"I got a call back from the guy. Looks like I won't be living with you anymore."_

"When will you be moving out?"

_"Soon. See ya tonight."_

"See ya." After she hangs up, I almost run over to my apartment right then. But I know he won't hurt her, plus it wouldn't be wise for me to leave Kate so abruptly. So to bide my time until I can get home I grab a newspaper and flip to the back where the puzzles are. It doesn't take long for me to finish the crossword puzzle, the theme is superheroes, and the word search is so easy it's ridiculous. That's when I hear the water in the bathroom turn off and remember I left Kate's breakfast in her bedroom.

I figure I have time before she gets out so I head straight to her room. Kate left the tray on the edge of her bed. I grab it and turn around to find a wet red-head wrapped in nothing but a fluffy green towel standing wide-eyed in front of me. Since I'm so used to seeing Diana dressed in less, seeing Kate practically naked doesn't faze me. She on the other hand is not faring as well. Her face is void of all color as I walk past her and when I accidently brush against her arm I feel her shiver. Poor Kate, I'm guessing she didn't except me to be in her room.

**X**

After Kate got dressed, we had a semi-awkward conversation in which I practically told her about Diana strutting around the hotel room in the nude. Thankfully we got passed that without anything more being said. With Kate's dishes being washed and me needing to ask her some questions, I suggested we go for a walk.

This allows me to direct her to Gotham Central Park where I'll be meeting Jason. And knowing him, he's already there waiting for me. "So, what is it that you wanted to talk with me about?" she asks not long after we leave her apartment.

"I need a favor from you."

"And what would that favor be?" I want to ask about her father but after being with her I know she won't tell me anything. Plus, it would be a good way to alienate myself from her and that's the last thing I want to do. Instead, I go for a different tactic.

"Well, you're friends with Captain Margaret Sawyer aren't you?"

"Maggie? Yeah, why? Do you want me to set you two up?" She winks at me and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"Hardy-har-har. No, I need you to see if she'll meet with me. I want to talk with her about this Intergang investigation. I've been trying to get in contact with ever since the witness went into protection but she refuses to see me. And every time she does see me, she avoids me." Everything I say is the truth. As Supergirl, I can easily converse with Maggie somewhat, but as Linda I can barely get a word to her let alone talk about the investigation

"I thought you're from Metropolis? How would you know Maggie?"

"I don't know her per se, but I have had a few run-ins with her. Besides, don't you know? Captain Sawyer used to live in Metropolis." Okay, that's mostly untrue. I know Maggie more than I care to explain at the moment.

"That still doesn't explain how you know her." But it looks like I'm going to explain anyway.

"Okay, fair enough. I know Maggie because my first story was an arson case. Maggie was part of the SCU and she thought that Intergang had something to do with it. We ended up running into each other on one of the previously burned buildings and we sort of hit it off. Anyway, together we solved who was doing it. It wasn't Intergang but a fireman. You see, Metropolis had cut the local fire companies' funding to put into the SCU. So this fireman took it upon himself to start a few fires. The most recent one killed an SCU officer. You know, Maggie used to always make time for me or any reporter but this case must be extremely important for her to refuse to see even me."

"It is. Even I haven't been able to see her let alone talk to her because of it."

"That's too bad. But schedule aside, can you at least ask her out to lunch? She won't say no to you."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because I know her, she has a thing for blondes and red-heads."

"She must have really liked Supergirl then."

"Oh, you have no idea." Kate scrunches her brow as she tries to understand what I mean by my statement. "Katherine can you do this for me, please?" Playing the sincere act takes Kate by surprise, that or using her full name.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks" We continue walking through the park in silence. I've forgotten how beautiful it can be this early in the morning. The way the sun is shining through the trees brings out the different colored leaves. "I've always liked the parks in Gotham. Metropolis only has one park but if my memory serves me right Gotham has four or five."

"Have you been to all of them?"

"M-hm, Barb and I would go on these long walks together. We even took a stroll through Amity Park in Suicide Slums."

"You and Barb are really close, aren't you?"

"Barbara Gordon is my best-friend. She has always been there for me when I needed her. I just wish I could say the same about myself."

"I don't understand." I take a deep breath before explaining.

"I know Barb always says great things about me but I don't feel worthy of the praise. When Barbara was shot by the Joker I was off doing my own thing. I didn't even know about her being paralyzed until _after_ she finished her therapy. What kind of friend isn't there when they're needed?" By now my eyes are watery and I can hear how my voice cracks. I don't know why I'm telling her this but I am. Maybe it has to do with her. There's something about Katherine Kane that I find intriguing.

Suddenly, Kate grabs me and pulls me into her. People don't hug me that often. Jimmy has but he's my friend so it's semi-expected. But to have Kate, a woman who is nothing more than an acquaintance, hug me is kind of awkward. Still, her body is warm and soft so I relax in her arms and hug her back. She immediately tightens her grip on me and I sink deeper into the embrace.

I should hug more often.

**X**

Kate and I parted ways shortly after our hug-fest. She had some errands to run and I said the same. As soon as she was out of normal view, I felt Jason behind me.

"What do you want Todd?"

"Nothing. Can't a friend visit a friend?" I turn around and face him.

"Not if it's you. What do you want? And what are you doing in Gotham again?"

"That's my business."

"Right…" Jason begins to circle me like a cat about to strike. "What. Do. You. Want. Jason?" He stops and looks me in the eyes.

"You." I scoff and roll my eyes.

"I don't have time for this." Knowing how fast Jason is, I tap into my speed to avoid having him block me.

"Come on Kara. With that red speedster gone you're available. I don't see why you and I can't start where we left of." I spin around in order to catch him off guard but his reflexes keep him from running into me.

"Where we left off is you being-pardon my language-an asshole. I left because I was tired of you always trying to one-up Bruce. You kept making things a competition as if I belonged to you. I don't. I never did. And I don't belong to Bruce either."

"Then why do you always go back to him?" Years ago, I realized that Bruce was always someone I could talk to. As a teenager he sort of scared me but as the years went on I came to respect him and he came to respect me. Then one day, I realized it was much deeper than respect. I was in-love with Bruce. I let him into my heart and he's never left it. But I can't tell Jason that, I can't tell anyone. Not now. Not when my life is about to take a devastating turn.

"I don't Jason. He's always been there for me. Even long before he trusted me, he protected me. The same goes for Diana, Clark, and even Jimmy. They're always going to play a big part in my life, no matter what."

"So what am I?" Jason steps closer to me and takes my hands in his. "What am I to you?"

"An ally, a friend maybe."

"That's it. That's all I am to you?" I take my left hand out of his soft grip and place it on his cheek.

"That's all you can be. I'm sorry Jason but I need to focus on other things right now. I can't be in a relationship with anyone."

"Especially me." I don't reply to his comment, instead I wrap my arms around him and give him a hug.

When I pull back I give him one final kiss goodbye. It's chaste but long. I know after today I won't see him again. Maybe ever if things don't go right for me in the future. "Goodbye Jason," I whisper against his mouth before walking away.

I don't look back as I leave the park. I don't think I can.

**X**

After my talk with Jason, I had a relatively uneventful day. Drake was ignoring my texts Barbara was busy, Maggie was still avoiding me, and there was no need for me to go grocery shopping. All-in-all today had been a very slow day. When I got home, there was a note from Elisabeth saying she would be at work until late.

I drop my bag on my bed when my cell rings. "Hey Clark."

_"Evenin' cuz. How's your day been?"_

"Semi-slow."

_ "I know what you mean. Metropolis has been pretty quiet too. That's why I decided to propose to Lois."_

"That's…I'm-I'm sorry. Did you say _propose_?"

_"Yep, and guess what? She said yes."_ I take the phone away from my mouth and let out a high-pitched squeal accompanied by a slow fist pump.

"That's great Clark," I say as calmly as possible.

_"Right…so which are you more excited about, Lois marrying me or Lucy being your cousin-in-law?"_

"I didn't even think about Lucy. Does she know yet?"

_"Lois is telling her right now."_ There's a pause at the end of the line eventually followed by a chuckle from Clark. _"Much like you, she let out a squeal, minus of course the ability to shatter windows with it."_

"Shut-up.

_"Make me."_

"Don't you dare, you know I can get to Metropolis in less than a minute."

_ "You can try."_ Suddenly, I hear Lois yell at Clark to stop being mean to me. I don't bother hiding my laughter as Clark tries to justify his actions. When she's done chewing him out, Clark promises to be nice to me if she's nice to Lucy. That's followed by Lois saying she's always nice. Clark and I let out a snort of disbelief at the same time before I hear running and a door slamming on his side of the line.

"You locked yourself in the bathroom, didn't you?"

_"I had to. A mad Lois Lane is like a Pit-bull on a pant-leg. She'll never let go and she'll never let-up. Sooo, other than a slow news day what happened?"_

"Nothing much. I went for a walk in the park with a new acquaintance andhadaruninwithJasonTodd." I hope Clark's super-hearing is not good enough to pick up the words I shot out at lightning speed but I know it is.

_"You what? Kara, are you out of your mind?"_

"No, but I think I'm getting there."

_"Don't be smart with me. You know how I feel about Jason Todd."_

"Well you don't have to worry anymore. I sent him away, permanently."

_"Kara, you killed him?"_ I stop walking and take the phone away from my ear, half-tempted to throw it out the window.

"No, I did not kill him. I made it clear he no longer stood a chance with me." The line went silent for a while. I hear the sound of a door opening but nothing else for several minutes.

_"I want you to leave Gotham,"_ he suddenly says.

"I'm not leaving Gotham, Clark."

_"That place was Jason's home for a long time."_

"Yes, but he doesn't live here anymore."

"_Doesn't matter, it was his main territory."_

"It's Bruce's too." The line goes silent again for a brief moment as I leave my room. "So…I don't see what the problem is Clark."

_"It's still Jason's main territory."_ I want to argue back that Gotham is actually Bruce's city but it won't help much. _"Kara, did you hear what I said?"_

"Yes I know what you said but that doesn't mean I understand." I do understand but I like to mess with Clark any chance I can.

"_Kara! For the love of R…Look, I just want to make sure you'll behave. You're my baby cousin. If anything happens to you, I don't know what I'd do. So please, PLEASE tell me you'll behave and that you'll come back to Metropolis as soon as you can"_ I roll my eyes at the last part but agree to Clark's terms.

"Fine, fine, I'll behave."

"_Good, now about the wedding…"_ Clark goes on to tell me what Lois and his plans are. I faithfully listen when I hear the sound of movement outside my balcony. I heard a similar one when I left my room but didn't think much of it since Bruce is still out-of-town. Using my x-ray vision, I subtly look through the balcony doors to see Batwoman out there. _"Anyway, it's getting late. Love you Kara."_

"I love you too cuz. Good night." I close my cell phone and toss it on the couch and head to the kitchen to see if there's anything to eat when my phone rings again. "Hello?"

"_Heya hot-stuff."_

"Oh, hi Lucy."

"_It's nice to hear from my favorite brunette."_

"It's good to hear from you too. Sorry about yesterday and this morning, I was busy with an emergency. A friend of Barb's and a recent acquaintance of mine had an accident." When I got back from Washington, Lucy emailed me that she wanted to meet-up in Metropolis. I told her I was too busy and would call her yesterday night and this morning. But after the Kate fiasco I didn't get a chance.

"_Is she hurt? Did she have to go to the hospital?"_

"No she's okay now. Just a bump on the head is all."

"_That's good. Were you with her when she got hurt? How did it happen?"_ Sometimes I think Lucy would be just as good a reporter as Lois if she had the drive.

"Yeah, she tried to help me with something but my weight pulled her down and she banged her head on a desk. She was out half the day yesterday."

"_Oh, well tell her I hope she feels better." _While talking with Lucy, I decide to take my button-up shirt off. I haven't forgotten about Batwoman. She's here to observe me for some reason, might as well let her do her job.

"I don't think that'll be a good idea. She doesn't know I told anyone else but Barb."

"_Fine, but I want you to know I do care about your acquaintance and I'm not faking my sincerity."_

"Good to know," I say while pulling my shirt off. Now the only thing covering my upper body is my black camisole over my bra.

"_By the way, I spoke to Cat Grant today._" I say something to let Lucy know I'm listening as I reach down to pull my shoes off. That's when Lucy drops a bomb on me. _"She said Danny was making out with some blonde at Ace's last night."_

"What? There is no way that's true." Danny is Lucy's recent beau and Ace of Diamonds is a new club down on 5th and Carlisle Ave. in Metropolis.

"_That's what Cat said."_

"Well we'll see about that."

"_Cool your jets girl. He's my problem not yours. I'm meeting him for lunch tomorrow. I'll have a talk with him then."_

"Yeah, you darn right you should have a talk with him. There's no way I would stay with a guy after he did that to me." I feel slightly hypocritical since I did let Jason kiss me in Metropolis, even if I was planning on breaking-up with Wally soon.

"_It's getting late love. I'll talk to you later."_

"Okay, good night Luce." I realize I'm standing up, so I sit down and finish taking my shoes off.

"_One more thing before I go. I looove yooouuu Linda Lee-Danvers. And don't you forget!"_

"I know, I know. I love you too Lucy." I hang up and reach down to take my socks off, then prop my feet on the coffee table. I'm about to lean back and relax when my phone rings again. "Ugh, really? Can't a girl relax around here? What?"

"_Someone's been having a bad day." _

I would know that tenor voice anywhere. "Oh, Bruce, hi."

"_Hello Linda. How have you been?"_ As Batman, I have no doubt he knows about this morning and what I've been up to lately but as Bruce…as Bruce he's just a guy asking a friend how her day went.

"I'm fine. How are you? You must be tired after that trip." He'd only call if he was back in Gotham or at least in the States.

"_I'm fine. Things went smoothly. By the way, has Clark spoken with you yet?"_

"Yeah, Clark called about an hour ago. I had a very nice and _long_ conversation with him." I agree with him when he says Clark is just being himself and lie down on the couch. Then he asks me what kind of guy _he_ is.

"What kind of guy are you? Hmm, well I don't rightly know. You're a hard guy to peg down Mr. Wayne."

"_I can the say the same for you Miss Danvers. Compared to most women, you're quite an interesting girl."_

"Is that why you like me so much, I make things interesting?"

"_That and amongst other things…Linda, the plane is about to take off. I'll see soon."_

"See you soon Bruce. Be careful-oh, and tell Diana I said hi." Bruce replies by telling me he will and a short story about how little Diana tends to wear at times. It makes me laugh.

"Well, how would you feel if a woman like Diana kept walking around the hotel naked-wait, never-mind don't answer that." Bruce laughs and tells me good night. "Good night Bruce."

"_And Linda," _he takes a breath before continuing. _"I want you to know that I miss you."_ The smile I had on my face is gone as soon as Bruce says those words. I didn't expect him to say that or anything even remotely close to that.

"I miss you too Bruce." It's true, I do miss him. To be exact, I miss his presence and knowing he's in the same city as me. Right before I hang up, Batwoman moves away from the door. Using my super-speed, I hang up and move to the door in less than a nanosecond. "Did you enjoy the show?" She stops and turns around slowly.

"How long did you know I was here?"

"After I hung up on my cousin Clark."

"Why didn't you say anything?" I shrug my shoulders. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You disappeared after I last saw you and I didn't know what happened." I know she wants me to reply to that statement; give her some insight on what happened that night but I can't. "And you're not going to tell me what happened, are you?"

"Not really."

"I see. I guess I'll be off then." She pulls her grappling gun out and aims for the building across the street.

"I hope to see you again Batwoman. We have a lot to talk about, you and I."

She ignores me and fires off the hook. "We'll see Miss Danvers." I watch her leap off my ledge and swing to the next building. When she swings around a second building, I go inside. As soon as I close the door behind me, Elisabeth walks in.

"What's with the stupid grin?"

"I saw a bat."

She raises an eyebrow at me then shakes her head while setting her backpack on the couch. "Okay, you've been in Gotham _way_ too long."

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**If you have any questions and need some blanks filled in, check out my story Gettin' By. This chapter should correspond with chapters 5 and 6.**

**I know. It's ridiculous that we're 17 chapters in for this story and we've only matched up with 6 of the other. That's why this story may turn into 40 chapters.  
**

**It looks like to keep that from happening I'll need to increase the average length of my chapters from 2500 words to 3000+ words. I know you guys don't absolutely need to know this but I figured I should warn you that future chapters will be MUCH longer. They'll have to be.**


	18. Chapter 18

**I know this isn't much but I thought you guys deserved something after not getting anything for a while. (Tomorrow would have marked exactly two months since the last update.)**

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"Kate was looking for you today." I stop mid-swig to look at Barbara. She's supposed to be focused on her crossword puzzle. Obviously she has other things in mind.

"What do you mean she was looking for me?"

"I mean there were moments when a tall brunette with curly-ish hair would walk by and she would watch them until they turned around. Kate's good at many things but hiding disappointment is not one of them."

Today was Kate's book store opening. I would have gone but I opted to go to Washington and check on Kara In-Ze. She's unconscious for most of my visits but Ivy and Manhunter have been taking care of her and they call me whenever she wakes up. I wish she was talking and moving about now but healing takes time so I must be patient.

"Why would she care if I was there or not?"

Barbara taps her pen against her lips. "Hmm, well you did take care of her after knocking her out."

"That was an accident," I say defensively.

Barbara smiles and goes back to her puzzle. "It doesn't matter. You took care of her."

"You would have done the same."

"Yeah, but I would have called Bette to keep an eye on her, not stay the night."

"True, but if someone slammed their head into yours, what's the chance of them getting a severe concussion?"

"Pretty small."

"Exactly, besides I would've done the same for anyone."

"Oh, I know. Just make sure Kate does."

"What do mean?"

"Oh come on Linda. You're not dense. You know exactly what Kate thinks of you."

"What does she think of me?"

Barbara's brow scrunches and she sets her pen down. "You have no idea how she feels, do you?"

"Oh please don't tell me Kate has a crush on me." Barbara doesn't say anything and picks up her pen. "That's not funny. How did that happen?"

"She probably took you being nice for flirting," Barbara pushes her glasses up her nose and smiles, "don't you hate how that happens?"

"Yes and it's been happening far too often. Do you think that means anything?"

"You mean, do I think you're a flirt? No but I do think sometimes you get too nice too soon."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"When you were younger you strove to make friends, sometimes at the expense of you getting your heart broken later on. A habit like that is hard to break."

"So you think I'm subconsciously trying to make friends so fast that my friendliness is mistaken for fancying someone?" Barbara nods. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

I sigh and think about Barbara's piercing, two-word question. "Maybe, maybe not. I guess I'll have to tone it back."

"Not necessarily. Just try to be more discrete and use discernment more often. If you do that you should be able to keep this from happening again."

"Probably. Then again I'm just so awesome it might be hard for me to do that."

Barbara tosses a dirty napkin at me and I throw it back. "And I thought you were humble. Look, the best thing you can do about Kate is lay some ground rules. Let her know where you stand. You're good at that. Don't let her be an exception." I take a bite of my sandwich when I get a text from Drake telling me a little birdie told him of a meeting place that would be safe. He gives me the coordinates to where we should meet; from there he'll give me the location of the new safe-place.

"I'm thinking of getting Kate involved with the investigation. What do you think?" Barbara's taken off-guard by this but she doesn't show it except through her pen ceasing.

"The Intergang investigation?"

"Yep."

"Why would you do that? You've got a bunch of birds helping you." One would think Barbara was insulted by the fact I would add another investigator on top of having the Birds of Prey but that's not what it's about. Batwoman has only been working with Batman for less than a few months and Barbara still doesn't fully trust her on a professional level. There are some aspects of her investigating skills that worry Barbara and for good reason.

"Damien and Stephanie are busy with Clayface, Tim is with the Titans, Bruce just left again to handle Talia, and Dick is back in Bludhaven, but I don't need to tell you that." Barbara sighs and sets her pen down.

"What could Batwoman possibly add to the investigation?"

"She could find the witness."

Barbara leans close to me and I lean in with her as she whispers harshly, "what is with you and trying to find this witness?"

"This person is the key to making or breaking this investigation. I need to know who they are. While the birds are busy with the inside and I'm busy with other angles, I need someone to get to Maggie."

"I thought you had that covered?" I lean back from Barbara and take a swig from my bottle of root beer.

"She's been blocking me out, as Supergirl _and_ as Linda."

"Then why get Kate involved? Sawyer is not exactly a big fan of Batwoman."

I give Barbara a sly smile, "no but she's a big fan of Kate," and she rolls her eyes.

"You know this won't end well, right?" I sigh and set my bottle down.

"Probably not, but one does have to try."

**X**

I decide to visit Kate as Supergirl. Having Linda ask her would be weird and it might cut me off from my investigation of her father. Supergirl is the more viable and logical choice. When I land, I notice a Rubik's Cube sitting on the table out there so I pick it up and go through the cycle of mixing it up then solving it. Half-an-hour after I arrive I hear Kate enter her apartment then go into her bedroom. I continue messing with the Cube until I realize she's about to leave the room. Not wanting to stay out here for hours, I give a quick puff of air and knock a ceramic gnome off the balcony of another building. I really hope that wasn't expensive or an heirloom.

There's movement in Kate's room and the sound of a drawer opening then closing. "What the heck?" she says before throwing open the doors to her balcony. I can see out of the corner of my eye she's in a state of shock with one hand gripping the towel around her body and the other holding a Taser. I look up from the cube and smile at her.

"Hello Katherine Kane."

"Um, hello Supergirl."

"May I come in?"

"Uh-huh" I stand up and notice she realizes I'm no longer in my diplomat uniform but in the traditional red and blue one. As I walk past her, I set the Rubik's Cube in her hand.

"So, where should we start?"

"Excuse me?" Her voice shoots up several octaves and the high-pitched squeak bothers me. I also notice her heart rate just shot up quite a bit.

I give her a sympathetic smile and cross my arms before saying "let me clarify, we need to talk…Batwoman."

"How-"

"I peaked." A look of shock flashes across her face and she immediately looks down at her towel but then stops and makes eye contact with me.

"When?"

"The second night we worked together. Batman, Nightwing, Red Robin, Batgirl, and Robin all have lead-lined masks. Only you seemed to have missed the memo."

"I just started working with them a month ago. Anyway, why would Batman and the others need a lead-lined mask?"

"It's a precaution. After Superman peaked, Batman didn't want to take the chance another member of the Super Family would come around and take a look too. And he was right to do so. After I first met him I looked, or tried to."

"Do you do that to all the superheroes you work with?"

"No, Superman taught me better. But I had a feeling we would be working together again so I took the liberty. Sorry." She nods then shifts her feet for the fifth time. Her heart rate is still high but it went down a smidge when I apologized to her. Perhaps talking with her while she's just in a towel is making this situation more uncomfortable than it needs to be.

"I forgive you, now what do you want?"

"Don't you think you should get dressed first?"

"Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"No, but it does you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Your heartbeat. It hasn't slowed down since you opened those doors." Her heart beat shoots up again and I swear she's on the verge of having a cardiac arrest.

"Fine, I'll get a robe on." She walks over to her closet and pulls out a long blue robe that is definitely more comfortable than my uniform, and my uniform fits pretty nicely. "You can wait in the living room for me."

I thank her and make a joke about her having a butterfly tattoo before going to the living room. Since Supergirl has never been in Kate's apartment before, I take my time looking at the walls and design of her apartment. I didn't notice this last time but there is a distinct lack of photographs in her apartment. The only one I remember seeing is a picture of her and Bette at a beach.

I sit down on Kate's couch. She chooses to sit across from me in a La-Z-Boy recliner. Her robe is wrapped tightly around her and she is sitting snugly in the chair. The fact she's looking me over doesn't go unmissed as her eyes wonder over every inch of me. This is not the first time someone has scrutinized me but it is one of the few times it's made me uncomfortable; the first being Bruce and the other being Jimmy.

"It suits her," she says under breath.

"What suits me?" I ask her.

"Dammit!"

"Nice language." Kate sighs and rubs a hand across her face. I guess those two times she spoke weren't supposed to be out loud.

"Your new suit, it gives you a friendlier atmosphere than your other one."

"That's because my other suit is meant for boring and professional occasions. I wasn't allowed to change out of it until the peace talks were over."

"And they're over?"

"Yes, Wonder Woman did a lovely job of wrapping things up and Wonder Girl didn't do too badly either."

"What about you? How did you do?"

"Well I really didn't do anything. I was simply there to be a third party observer."

"With no personal interest in the matter?"

"Ha, not quite."

"Wait, did you get that?"

"Yeah, it was a quote from She's The Man. I like that movie."

"Really? I can't picture you chilling out in sweats with popcorn and watching it on the big screen."

"I was actually eating gummy worms and the TV wasn't that big."

Kate smiles and crosses her arms and legs. "I like you like this."

"Like what?"

"More relaxed, more playful."

"Relaxed yes, playful? Hmm, that's a side of me you'll probably never see." The smile on Kate's face falters slightly but I don't comment on it.

"So what _do_ you want Supergirl?"

"I need your help with this Intergang situation. I already have someone helping me but there's only so much she can do. I need your help Katherine. I need the help of Batwoman." The surprise on her face is evident, which is slightly odd. I would think it be obvious I wasn't making a social call.

"What can _I _do?"

"This is your city, we both know the witness is here in Gotham somewhere but I don't know where. I would X-ray the city if I knew what he looked like, and Captain Sawyer is doing her best to not be too near the witness as to keep suspicion down."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to be my eyes and ears in this city."

"Why me? Why not Batgirl or Robin? I even heard Batman is back in town." This woman in front of me doesn't feel like Batwoman. I figured Kate would jump at the chance to work with me; so either she's being cautious or there is something else going on.

"I don't want them, I want you." A blush is creeping up her face and from the sound of her heartbeat she knows this. I'm also beginning to understand her hesitancy; she's trying to gage my sincerity. I've never had someone do that to me before, not since Cassie, or Wonder Girl to be more specific. "Besides, I feel like this is more of a job for Batwoman than anyone else." I wink at her then lean back into the couch.

"I'll see what I can do." Suddenly a high pitched whistling goes off; looks like my conversation with Kate is over.

I stand up and bow. "Thank you Katherine. I appreciate this." When head off into the direction of her room and balcony, I can hear her following me and just as I step outside she grabs my arm.

"Wait, how do I get in contact with you if I have anything?" The whistling is getting worse. It has to be within three blocks of me for it to be this bad.

"Ask Oracle for the Reddner watch, she'll know what you mean. But don't tell her why, just that you need it." She nods and releases my arm. "Sweet dreams Katherine Kane." And before you can say 'Up, up, and away' I'm gone and out of sight.

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**Like I've said before. I've been editing these chapters and changing them. This one I changed a lot so if you're re-reading this I do apologize but there were gaps in conversations and an unnecessary scene.  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**I know I said I make these updates longer but my schedule is keeping from doing that. **

**Anyway, when you see the name Ailish remember that it's pronounced "eye-lish." Also, there are moments in this update that talk about sexual assault; not explicitly but if it still upsets you for whatever reason please refrain from reading this update. You will not miss anything big/crucial if you do.**

**On that note, if you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted in any way, please don't keep it in. What was done to you was horrible and keeping something like that in will eat you alive. Please talk to someone, whether to report it or to find healing. No one should live with those nightmares or that pain. **

* * *

As I suspected, she's waiting for me only a few blocks from Kate's apartment. "Did you really have to use that to get in contact with me?" Her face is serious as she stands up and I land on the roof in front of her.

"I didn't want to interrupt you," she says as she turns off the calling device attached to her left wrist.

"You were watching?"

"For about five minutes, until a half-naked red-head opened the door. Kate is her name?"

"Yes."

"I take it she's a mask."

"Yes." She nods her head and a rush of wind suddenly blows around us. Our blonde hair gets caught up with it and she wraps her arms around herself. "Cassie, why are you here?"

Cassie Sandsmark is five feet and seven inches tall with blonde hair and dark-blue eyes. She is the second person to take over the mantle of Wonder Girl, the first being Princess Donna; Diana's younger sister. I don't know much about Cassie and how she came to be Wonder Girl but I do know she's around Stephanie Brown's age and she's always admired Diana and Donna. If I remember correctly, Cassie was 16 when she became Wonder Girl and Donna had just become Donna Troy. A year later I was kidnapped by Darkseid.

Cassie's face turns sad as she sits down on the bench again. She rests her head in her hands and stays like that for a moment before finally making eye-contact with me. "Cassie, what wrong? Why are you crying?" I sit down next to her and go to pull Cassie into a half-hug but she slides away from me.

"Because what I'm about to say isn't easy."

"What do you mean?"

Cassie wipes her tears away. "I think it's time we tell Diana."

"Tell her what?" Cassie gives me an incredulous look and I finally understand. "I see…and how long have you been thinking about this?"

"For about a month, maybe more."

"Since the UN hearing?"

"It's actually been longer than that but when the three of us were together it was on my mind all the time." Cassie turns to me with tears in her eyes. I go to brush them away but she flinches back from me. "We need to tell her Kara. I can't keep going on like it never happened."

"I know Cassie. I know." Cassie's hands are shaking slightly so I slowly reach out and take them in mine. "Cassie, are you one hundred-percent sure you want to tell her?" Cassie simply nods and I let a hand slip away as I stand up and pull her with me. "Then we do it now. We go the Themyscira and tell her what happened that night."

"I want to tell her but do you think _now_ is a good time?"

"If we don't do it now, we may never tell her and then it'll be too late."

"Too late for what?"

"For everything."

**X**

Sitting in Diana's bedroom is unnerving since what Cassie and I want tell her about took place in here. I'm sitting on the chest at the foot of Diana's bed tapping my foot rapidly while Cassie is pacing the room. "What's taking her so long?" she asks.

"Diana wasn't here when we arrived. But now that she is, we simply have to wait for her to be debriefed by the queen. She has a duty to do Cassie before anything else."

"Whatever. I just want to get this over with."

"Me too." Cassie looks at me briefly before opening the doors to the balcony and letting in the night air. I can hear the sound of water hitting the rocks and smell the salt of the sea and the plants that run along the edge of the island. Cassie steps out there and leans against the balcony. I make the decision to join her. "Do you remember when we first met?" Cassie shakes her head. "It was almost a month before I was kidnapped. You were working with the Teen Titans and Red Robin invited me to take a break from the Outsiders to work with you."

"I remember now," she says with a smile, "I was so jealous of you and how close you were to Superboy. Man was I stupid."

"Maybe, but that didn't give me the excuse to punch you."

"Are you kidding me? I was so awful to you. That back-hand you gave me smacked some sense in me."

"It did but it didn't feel so great when Diana chastised the two of us for our behavior." Cassie laughs and turns to look at me. The wind blows her hair around her face and the moon makes the blonde tendrils look white. How much she has grown and changed in these past five years is more evident to me now than before. She's come a long way from that attitude-driven smart-mouth to this mature young woman Diana would be proud to let take over the role of Wonder Woman.

"Do you remember how red her face was?" I smile and nod. "It was so great. I mean not at the time but it was later." Cassie notices the way I'm looking at her and her smile disappears. "Kara, are you okay?"

"Diana must be _so_ proud of you." Cassie's look of confusion turns into a soft smile with a touch of sadness in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Cassie. What I did to you five years ago must have ripped you to shreds." A thought hits me as I'm talking. "Was it the reason you left the Titans?" When Cassie doesn't look at me and chooses to look at the black water below us I get my answer. "Why?"

"You barely knew me Kara. If you could hurt me the way you did," her eyes lock with mine "then what was there to stop Conner from doing the same?"

My mouth opens to answer her but nothing comes out; not a word, not a sound, not a breath. Cassie reaches up and brushes something off my face. When she pulls away I grab her hand and see it's wet. I'm crying again and I know it has nothing to do with my changed physiology.

"Cass…" was all I could get out before she pulls me into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, _so_ sorry," is all I can say while she holds me.

"Am I interrupting something?" The voice startles the two of us and we break apart quickly. Standing in the doorway is Diana in her Wonder Woman uniform.

Cassie steps forward and says boldly, "Diana, we have something to tell you." Diana raises an eyebrow but says nothing as she moves aside to let Cassie and me in her room.

**X**

Diana stands before us slack-jawed. To say it was obvious she had no idea what to expect when Cassie unloaded the information pertaining to that night on her is an understatement. It's no secret I was unstable after I came back from Apokolips. However, that night was a good example on how well Desaad twisted my mind and my moral center. I was a murderer who loved to torture her victims relentlessly before I killed them. Perhaps that's why Darkseid called me daughter; he could see the darkness and confusion sitting at my core and took advantage of it.

Even though he had Superman and Superboy in his custody too, they both were able to resist Darkseid's and Granny Goodness's efforts; Superman because he had already been brainwashed before and Superboy because something tied to Lex Luthor's genetics kept him from succumbing. I, on the other-hand, was not as lucky because of how emotionally vulnerable I was. There were also other aspects at play in my torture that would not have had the same effect on Kal-El and Kon-El.

Once Cassie is finished speaking, Diana turns away from us. "Get out," she says almost as a whisper. Cassie and I look each other in the eyes before Cassie speaks.

"Diana, don't you have-"

"No. Now please leave. I need time to process this."

Cassie looks down at her feet before nodding and getting up to leave the room. I can see the tears falling from her eyes as she closes the door behind her. "Diana-"

"Get out," she says quietly with her back to me still.

"Diana, _please_."

"Get out," she says more forcefully.

I sigh then move to the balcony so I can leave but stop before reaching the doors. "No." Diana turns to be and the look in her eyes screams that I better leave if I want to live. "Do _not_ blame Cassandra for what happened. It wasn't her fault."

"I am aware of whose fault it is so please refrain from speaking."

"I will _not _because I know you. You're making this as much as Cassie's fault as it is mine and it's _not_ her fault. _I_ was the one who hurt her."

"I am _not_ blaming Cassie, but she should have-"

"Should have what? Cassie was barely eighteen Diana. She wasn't strong enough."

"She was a trained warrior."

"She was a child! She didn't stand a chance against me."

"Are you questioning my ability to train Amazons?"

"No! I'm telling you I was a _monster_. A child cannot fight a monster, _especially_ one who was trained by Desaad, the biggest masochist in all the galaxies."

Some time during this argument, Diana and I moved close enough to where we are less than a foot from each other. Once I mention Desaad, Diana moves past me to open the doors to the balcony. She steps out there and I move to stand with her but opt out and choose to stand in the doorway instead.

"After I saw those scars on Cassie's leg, I asked her about them but she said it happened during a battle with the Titans. She _had_ just come from a mission with them, I had no reason to think otherwise…but I _knew_ something was wrong. I should have pressed more. I should have known."

"Diana you couldn't have known. Cassie was covering it up because she didn't want you to think she was weak and _I _never said anything because I barely remember that night. It wasn't until the nightmares that things started coming came back."

Diana turns around with a question in her eyes. "You said they all had to do with Apokolips?"

"Not all of them. _That_ nightmare came after I started my therapy sessions with Doctor McCoy."

"_After_ you tried to commit suicide."

"M-hm."

Diana turns away from me and leans against the balcony while resting her head in her hands. "How much of that night do you remember?"

"At first it was only the aftermath. Once the nightmares kicked in bits and pieces came but not everything. Cassie's been living with the whole thing for over five years."

"It takes a lot of strength to hold something like that in."

"No," I'm standing next to Diana now and she looks at me, "it takes a lot of_ fear_ to hold it in. It takes a lot of inner-strength to keep it from crushing you. Cassie is _much_ stronger than I am."

"But Cassie's never been tortured by Desaad."

"Or raped by his minions, but that doesn't discount how strong she is…_or_ how well you trained her." Diana smiles sadly and stands up straight before gazing at the stars above us.

"It's getting late. You should leave. Get some sleep."

"Yes princess." Diana smiles again and gently lays a hand on my left cheek. She has her worried face on. I've seen this face multiple times but never in such a way where I feel my heart break.

"You'll come back?"

"I promise." I smile and step out of her embrace.

As soon as my feet leave the ground, Diana grabs my hand. "Wait. Stay. I want to hear how you've been lately." This shift in emotion is unexpected but as my feet touch the ground I begin to understand her thought process, or try to. The main reason I can think of is Diana still has questions and perhaps she feels it would be best to ask me them instead of Cassie.

"On one condition."

"What?"

"You talk to Cassie in the morning." Diana's smile falters but she agrees. "Good. Now do you still have those silk pajamas I bought you?"

"In the back of my closet."

"Good," I walk away from Diana and go inside to get changed, "because the last thing I need is to wake-up next to a naked Amazon...again." Diana's laughter echoes throughout the room as she closes the balcony doors behind her and we get ready for bed.

Once we're changed, the questions come at me full-force. If they pertained to Cassie, I told Diana to ask the younger Amazon those questions but I answered all the others. The one question that took me slightly by surprise was one most people wouldn't ask so bluntly, but Diana isn't most people.

"Do you still have nightmares about your rape?" Diana was sitting with her back against the bottom-left post of her bed while I was sitting with my back to the headboard.

"Sometimes. When the anniversary of my kidnapping grows close. Most of the time they're about the things I did, not the things that were done to me."

"Do you still talk to Doctor McCoy?"

I'm surprised Diana brought up Ailish. She's not a particular fan of the doctor for whatever reason. Perhaps because there are things I've told Ailish I've never told Diana. It's not because I don't trust Diana but because I don't want to hurt her. There are things that course through my heart and head that would devastate her, especially this recent secret that's been eating me up inside. Ailish knows about what's destined to come but Diana is out of the loop; as is Bruce, who I still need to speak to.

"Not face-to-face but she emails me every day. Sometimes it's a link to her blog and sometimes it's just her checking up on me. I particularly like it when she sends Bible verses. They always hit me at the core and make me think."

"I'm glad she's helping you." I smile and snuggle deeper into the bed.

"Me too."

* * *

******Please leave reviews. They help me to improve as a writer and know if I did something stupid or something you didn't like.  
**I know there are a lot of vague moments in this update but they'll be cleared up in the next chapter. If you have any questions send me a message or review.  


**On a side note, check out the song Face Down by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. I've been listening to it a lot and I really like, so maybe you guys might like it too.  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**Just to warn you. There is some heavy stuff in this chapter (such as the mention and discussion of rape). Just be careful and if anything you read upsets you or you have a problem with it. Let me know and I will see what I can do.**

**On the other hand, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

The feel of the warm sun on my skin wakes me up. I stretch my entire body out and look to my left to see a sleeping Diana. The sun hasn't reached her face yet and it looks peaceful in the shadows of her bedroom. I get out of bed slowly, careful not to wake her up, and pad over to the closet to get dressed for the day. In the back corner of her closet is a section for clothes just for me. I pick a short, white tunic, a brown belt, and some sandals; the typical clothes of an Amazon.

I close the door to her bedroom behind me and head to the downstairs kitchen. I'm almost to the stairwell when I pass by Cassie's bedroom door. "It's now or never." I knock on the door. When no one answers I open it and go inside. Cassie's bed is empty; in fact, it doesn't even look slept in. "Cassie?" I move closer to the bed and notice the doors to her balcony are open.

Cassie is leaning against the stone banister and watching the sunrise. She shifts her feet when she hears me come up behind her but stays where she is. "Didn't get much sleep, did you?"

"I came out here to think and fell asleep on the floor. I woke when the sun started coming up. What about you?"

"Same. Except for the floor thing."

Cassie turns her body towards me and leans against the banister on her left side as I come up next to her. "How's Diana?"

"Asleep."

"Long night?"

"We talked for a while."

"About what?"

"You, me, the future, what happened on Apokolips."

"Sounds like a heavy and long conversation."

"It was."

Cassie looks out at the sea and smiles softly. "Diana is planning on talking to me today, isn't she?"

"Yes."

"What should I say?"

"The truth."

"And what is truth Kara?"

"Truth is absolute Cassie. It's unchanging."

"They say there are no absolutes. They say that truth is relative."

"Who are 'they'?"

Cassie laughs and shakes her head. "No idea but I'll let you know when I figure it out."

I smile and watch as a bird dives into the water and comes back out with a fish in its beak. "What are your plans for today?"

"Chores, studying, more chores, a talk with Diana apparently, and the Titans want me to go on a mission with them."

My ears perk up at that. "Really? On whose command?"

"Victor's."

Victor Stone, aka Cyborg, has been a member of the Teen Titans since its inception, along with Time Drake (Red Robin), and Cassie. Since then, they've gained Superboy, Ravager, Raven, Beast Boy, Miss Martian, and Kid Devil. They have honorary/temporary members like Batgirl (Stephanie Brown), Robin, and Impulse to name a few. If my memory serves me correctly and it usually does, Victor is closer to my age than Cassie.

"It's nice to see you working with a group again. You've mostly been by yourself – with the exception of those two months with the Outsiders – since that night."

"You did tell me I was a danger to people and that I would get them killed…more or less."

"I said that?" Cassie notices my confusion and she's confused because of it.

"You don't remember?"

"Not that part. Cassie what hap-" My attention gets pulled elsewhere when the sound of Diana leaving her room hits my ears.

"What is it?"

"Diana's awake. We should go get breakfast." I lead Cassie back inside and to her door. She calls out to me before I open it.

"Are we going to continue this before you leave?"

I smile and kiss her on top of her head. "Of course, just as soon as I get some food in my stomach." Cassie laughs then grabs my hand as we leave the room and go to the kitchen.

**X**

"Then right before he could attack me, I SPUN AROUND and ran my blade through him." Artemis is regaling the younger Amazons with tales of her battles. One of them, a short blonde girl, has the misfortune of being an example of the man and has to flinch back to keep Artemis from almost stabbing her with the sword.

I'm hidden in the shadows of a coliseum entrance watching the spectacle in front of me. After breakfast I left Cassie to her chores and Diana to her studies because Io wanted my opinion on a new armor she was working on. I spent the early morning making sketches then I let her get to work on them after she suggested I watch Artemis train the young ones. When I arrived I was pleasantly surprised to find her telling stories instead of fighting.

"It never ceases to amaze me." I acknowledge Hippolyta's arrival by giving her a slight bow. She gives me a nod of the head and stands next to me. "When Artemis first volunteered to train the younger sisters I was worried. However, after watching her work with them my worries have subsided."

I silently agree with the queen and watch as Artemis tells another story. This one requires the help of three girls with her choice of weapon being a whip. "It's a training exercise. She's giving them a scenario that makes them think on their feet. The others get to watch and critique."

"Impressive. It took Cassandra two training sessions to figure that out and Diana one. You did it in less than an hour."

"In their defense, they don't have a solar-powered brain." Hippolyta smiles softly and opens her mouth to speak when a yelp snaps our attention back to the girls. Artemis proved too good at the whip and cracked a girl across the calf. "Not even Epione can heal that. It's going to scar."

"Yet that scar will become a mark of pride." Hippolyta is right. Once the bandages go on, she'll talk to all her elders and peers about how she was marked by the whip of Artemis.

"I hope the others don't attempt to get the same mark. That would prove Ares right." Hippolyta flinches slightly at the god of war's name and asks me to explain my statement. "He once told me all Amazons are secretly masochists."

"Hm…In some ways that could be true. We do look forward to a good battle."

"That doesn't make you a masochist Queen Hippolyta. That makes you a warrior." Hippolyta smiles again then turns away from Artemis and the girls; I follow. "I must say this Queen Hippolyta, one of these days a girl will ask where she came from and not accept the tale that the gods sent them."

Hippolyta stops and looks down at me. Like Diana, she is around six feet tall. "And what do you suggest I tell them? The truth?"

"Yes."

"I cannot."

"Ignorance in _not_ bliss Hippolyta, it's dangerous. They must know."

"No, we cannot break that picture."

"That picture will break the moment they go on a ship for the first time, have sex with a man in hopes of conceiving, and then have to kill him."

"That has not been required since right after Diana left the island."

"But it will happen again soon. You and I both know that."

Hippolyta's face softens from anger to sadness. "I spoke with Athena shortly after your arrival. They accepted your request. They will not lend a hand in the battle if Diana calls for them."

"And what did they say about that?"

"According to Athena, Ares thinks you are a fool, Aphrodite admires you, and Dionysus and Demeter want to plan the decorations. Then there is Hades who looks forward to seeing you, Poseidon and Zeus are indifferent, and Hera trusts that you know what you are doing."

"And Athena?"

"She respects you and your bravery."

"There is nothing brave about what I'm going to do. It's practically suicide."

"If that was true then Athena would not have given me _this_ to give to you."

I didn't notice it before but Hippolyta had a golden necklace in her right hand. She hands it to me and I look it over. The chain is as thin as spider's silk yet strong enough that when I apply the slightest pressure it neither bends nor breaks. Hanging from the chain is a tiny sword made of yellow and white gold with a matching shield that has Athena's emblem on it.

"I see Hephaestus has prepared some things as well."

"He likes to have a hand in everything." I agree with her then we continue to walk together and talk about what man's world has been up to. When we pass by the cliff that overlooks the water by the palace, I notice Cassie sitting on the stone bench that sits on the edge. I don't have to say anything to the queen. She noticed her too and silently allows me to leave her presence.

"I take it you've already had that talk with Diana." Cassie doesn't even move when I sit down on the bench with her. "How did it go?" She shrugs her shoulders and shifts away from me.

"That well huh? And I thought Diana would be more understanding."

"That's the problem. She was."

"I don't get it."

Cassie turns to me with tears in her eyes. "She was perfect. I told her everything. How no one was in the castle because they were all celebrating. How I went to check up on you and you snapped. How you almost..._almost_...hurt me."

"I think the word you're looking for is rape." Cassie flinches at the word. "Why can't you say that word?"

"Because it's an ugly word."

"It's an ugly deed done by an ugly heart. And it almost happened to you. If you hadn't stopped me, if _you hadn't _snapped me out of it then I would have. That I much I remember. The darkness, the hate, the depravity."

"It wouldn't have been your fault. You weren't you."

"Yes I was. Don't you get it? No one can turn you into something you're not. They can only bring out what is already in there. Desaad knew this, Granny Goodness knew this, and Darkseid knew it. If there wasn't some darkness already in me then I would've been able to resist, so don't you dare say that, _don't you dare_ blame yourself for what happened. You did nothing wrong and you did _not_ ask for it."

Cassie goes silent for a moment before looking me in the eyes and whispering, "Desaad is a master of torture."

"Yes, but he wasn't mine."

"True but just so you know. It wasn't your fault for what _he_ did to _you_."

"Which part? The torture or the gang rape?" I try to joke about it. I try to make it come out light-hearted but I can't so it comes like a sob at the end.

Cassie pulls me into a tight hug and holds me while I let out five years of pain, sadness, and denial. Denial that kept telling me what happened was a dream. It happened to someone else and not me; that my virginity wasn't taken by monsters in a dark hole in Desaad's torture dungeon. But one can only do that for so long before one breaks.

Once I stop crying, I pull out of Cassie's embrace slightly and rest my head on her shoulder. We watch a few birds dip into the water for fish as she rubs my back. I'm emotionally drained and the pull of sleep is strong.

When I open my eyes, I notice I'm no longer outside but in a bedroom. Based upon the color scheme and the design of the room, I know I'm in Cassie's bed on not Diana's. "This is a first."

"What is?" Cassie just came in the room with a bowl in her hands.

"That I'm waking up in a bed other than mine or Diana's."

"Really? Do tell…" I notice the suppressed smile on Cassie's face as she hands me the bowl, which I realize has grapes in it.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Those thoughts."

"What thoughts?" I smile and go to answer but she shoves a grape in my mouth. "Shut. Up." I take a grape and toss it at her but she catches it and pops it in her mouth. When Cassie sits on the bed, I scoot over to make room for her. She sits crisscross with her back against the headboard like me. The bowl is sitting in my lap and Cassie reaches over to grab another grape when she says, "at least you didn't wake up next to a naked Diana."

"One time! That happened one time!" She starts to laugh and soon we're both having a laughing fit. When Diana walks in, there's confusion at the sight in front of her but soon it shifts to happiness as she sits on the foot of the bed and waits for us to get control of our bearing again.

"Are you two done or do I need to wait some more?"

"We're," Cassie lets out a snort and we're at it again. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for us to get in control. "Sorry. We're fine now." Diana looks at me. I merely nod and stick a grape in my mouth to keep from smiling.

"Good, because it's time for Kara to go. Oracle called on your feed and told me she wants to meet in Gotham."

"What time is it in the States?"

"Close to lunch. If you leave now you won't be that late." I nod and get out of bed. Once I reach the bedroom door, a thought pops in my head and I turn back to the two Amazons.

"Hey Diana, can Cassie come?"

**X**

Cassie and I touch down on the docks and slip into an empty Wayne Enterprises warehouse to get changed. While I have to change my entire look, Cassie simply slips a blood-red dress-shirt over her Wonder Girl top and a pair of D&G sunglasses on her face; the lucky duck. Once I'm dressed, we hop on the motorcycle I stash in the warehouse and head to the city. I drop her off at my apartment but not before I get a call from Barbara on my Bluetooth. She wants me to come by the coffee shop and have lunch with her and Kate.

When Cassie gets off the bike she hands me the Reddner watch. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Letting her have the watch I mean."

"To be honest, I have no idea but I told her to ask Oracle for it in order to get in contact with Supergirl. I can't go back on my word."

"But you never gave it."

"But I'd rather not give Kate an excuse to bug Barbara."

"So you say but why do I feel like there's more going on?" I smile and slip the watch onto my right wrist.

"Because there is." Cassie rolls her eyes and slips her sunglasses up on her head. "You have my number if anything happens."

"Like I'd need your help."

"You never know. Something could happen."

"Well _if_ it does and I do mean _if_, then I'll give you're a holler." I smile and put my helmet on. "Don't forget. We still need to finish our talk." I tap my helmet to show I heard her. She waves goodbye and steps back from me as I take off to the café.

It takes me half-an-hour to reach the café and another fifteen minutes to find a place to park. I finally find a spot two blocks from the diner. Thankfully it's not meter parking. I lock my helmet to the bike and do a brisk walk to the diner. When I get close enough, I can see Barbara sitting by the window. She acknowledges my approach with her eyes then goes back to talking with the person sitting across from her; presumably Kate.

"I'll get you the watch Kate. I just need to ask someone for it," says Barbara as I enter the diner.

"Who?"

"Hey guys, did I miss anything?" Kate jumps at the sound of my voice and turns around to look at me.

"Nothing much," says Barbara. I grab a chair from an empty table and sit at the end of their table. A waitress comes over and I order a hot chocolate.

"I was never one for coffee," I tell Kate.

Once the waitress is gone, Barbara asks me a question. "Hey Linda, you know that watch you-know-who gave you, do you still have it?"

"Yeah"

"Great, I need it. Can you spare it for a few nights?"

"Sure" I take the watch off and hand it to Barbara. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Kate recognizes the watch because her eyes get wide.

"Thanks."

"No problem." When the waitress brings my cocoa and I take sip of it, I try not to spit it back out. It is _definitely_ not the best cocoa I've ever had; in fact, it may be one of the worst. "I've had better." Kate laughs and takes a sip of her coffee when Barbara's cellphone goes off.

"Hello?...Okay, I'll be right there." She hangs up. "I've got to go. My father needs me for something. I'll see you two another time."

As Barbara wheels out the door, I follow her. "Was that really your father who called you?" I ask once we're outside.

"Yeah. He says he has a surprise for me and I should come home and see what it is."

"Isn't he in the middle of work right now?"

"Yeah but obviously whatever it is, it's big. He wouldn't be calling otherwise." I nod then kiss Barbara on the cheek. As she rolls away I head back into the diner. Kate is pretending like she wasn't watching us and asks me about the Reddner watch.

"It's a long story," I say before putting my chair back at its rightful table and sitting in the chair opposite from Kate.

"I'll take the cliff notes version."

"My ex got it from Star Labs. He used it to get in contact with someone. Later on, he gave the watch to that someone, who gave the watch to someone else, who gave the watch to me for safe keeping." I leave out the part where I gave it to Cassie in case she ever needed my help while in the States.

"Forget it, I want the long version."

"Ha-ha. Look all I can tell you, is that it's for contacting someone important."

"I understand, and you trust Barbara with it?"

"I trust Barbara with my life. So I think I can trust her with a watch." I smile at Kate and she smiles back. We sit there in silence for a little while, doing nothing but enjoying each others company when Kate asks me a question.

"You didn't come to my store opening yesterday." I only half-hear what she says because I'm focused on a certain blonde in jeans flying across the sky. I leave her alone for less than an hour and she's already getting into trouble. "I said-"

"Oh, sorry about that. I make it a habit to never go to opening days. There are always too many people. I was going to visit your store today but Barbara invited me for lunch and said you would be joining us. I thought I would have lunch with you today then go to your store afterwards. If that's okay with you?"

"That's fine." When I smile at Kate she begins to blush and her heart rate increases. That's when it finally hits me. The blushing, the increased heart rate, the random humming and squeaks, the trembling when I wrote on her hand, the shivering when I brushed against her arm, and the strange reactions to certain spoken phrases; all of it.

Katherine Kane has a crush on me. Fan-freakin-tastic.

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**Reviews are EXTREMELY welcome. This includes critiques of any kind. My aim is to write the best work I can for you guys but I can't do that if you don't help me get better through feedback.  
**

**Again, if you have any problem with this chapter or anything let me know and I will see what I can do. **


	21. Chapter 21

**Hope you like the update. Kind of wrote it in one fell swoop. **

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Kate and I finish lunch rather quickly. We leave as soon as we're done eating and head back to her shop. As soon as she opens the door and walks in, I make a beeline for the book shelves.

"Katherine, this is fantastic!" I yell from behind the stacks. Kate laughs then turns on the television. The channel is on PGN (Planet Global Network) news and from the sound of it Cat Grant is doing her daily news feed. When I come out from behind the shelves, I can see she's reporting on the explosions in Suicide Slums. The call for help came across my Justice League com-link earlier but before I could respond, Superboy said he would take care of it.

Kate is paying attention to the television so when I speak she jumps slightly. "That's Cat Grant, took over for William McCoy a few years back. I've always liked her nose for news but in person she's kind of annoying. Half the time Lois wants to rip Cat a new one. Of course Clark is there to intervene."

"Lois, as in Lois Lane?" I figured since she's an investigator, Kate would know who I associate with but maybe she's not as interested in Linda as she is in Supergirl.

"Mhm, she's Clark's girlfriend. Runs the digital division there. Pretty much the producer. Clark prefers to work with newspaper division."

"And Clark's your cousin?" I can't tell if she's playing dumb because she can't let me know she's Batwoman, or she honestly forgot the conversation I was having with him a few nights ago.

"Yep. He's the cousin that I used to visit in Smallville." Kate looks like she's about to say something but my attention gets called to the screen.

"_Here is the footage from earlier today,"_ says Cat.

The clip starts off with some girl filming and narrating footage of Suicide Slums. "I know that voice, that's Lucy's."

Suddenly, an explosion happens across the street. She falls back slightly but recovers and heads towards the explosion. Just as she hits the sidewalk, another building explodes half a block down the street, then another, then another. The entire area is on fire. The next explosion knocks Lucy on the ground. I can feel the heat rise behind my eyes and my grip on Kate's counter tightens to the point where I'm compressing the metal. I know it is past footage, but I still find myself praying for Lucy's safety.

To my relief, the camera slowly rises and continues filming. It turns to the sky and I see a streak go across it. Superboy, like usual, makes a harsh landing and starts putting out the fires. No matter how many times Clark and I chastise him he still causes some level of damage when he lands. When all is said and done, the fires are out and those who were in the street are clapping and cheering. In the corner of the video I see a hand move and hear a loud whistle.

"That's my girl, that's my Lucy." I loosen my grip on the counter and my heart rate slows down. An elated feeling fills me as the tape goes on for a few more seconds before it cuts back to Cat. I don't bother listening to the rest of the report and grab my cellphone to call Lucy. After four rings she picks up.

"Hello?"

_"Hey hot stuff."_

"Oh Lucy, thank the Lord you're okay."

"_I guess this means you saw the news, huh? Good timing right?"_

"Mhm, I just saw it. You were definitely in the right place at the right time."

"_I'd say so. After Superboy left I called Lois and gave her the exclusive. After she chewed me out, she gave me a hug and got my story."_

I keep talking to Lucy like a preppy school girl until I'm amongst the book again. There, the elated feeling goes away and I start talking talking to her straight. "Luce, before you get out another word, I just gotta say my heart stopped when that explosion knocked you down. I thought the worse."

"_Sorry girl. I was only there doing a mini-documentary on the homeless. The explosions weren't on the to-do list."_

"Do they know what caused them?"

"_If by 'they', you mean the police and firefighters, then no. Lois has her theories though."_

"Let me guess, they all revolve around Lex Luthor."

"_Pretty much. I keep reminding her he's in jail and those explosions wouldn't benefit him much but she's still holding on. Clark thinks it has to do with Intergang."_

"That's a lot more plausible than Lois's theory. Though they're usually not this open with their attacks. There's gotta be something or someone else at play."

"_Clark thinks so too."_

"Good, good." Lucy and I talk more about the story and the different humanitarian projects she's working on when she throws an idea at me.

"_Hey Linda, you know how Colonel Kane does that fundraiser for the women's homes and the VA?" _

"Yeah."

"_Do you think it would be okay if I come to Gotham for a little bit? You know I've never been and I've always wanted to go. Besides, Lois says I need to take some time off and rest a bit."_

I want to tell Lucy that Kane has been neglecting his duties to the women's shelters but there's no reason for me to pop that bubble just yet. "Usually the Daily Planet doesn't cover the fundraiser, only PGN does, but I'll see if Perry or Cat can get me in."

"_Cool. When is the fundraiser?"_

"A week from now."

"_Great, I'll talk it over with Lois. Maybe if Perry says yes to the DP covering the event, I can go with Jimmy on its expense."_ Leave it to Lucy to find a way to not have to pay for something. Wait a minute…

"What makes you think Perry will send Jimmy?"

"_Because you two work together well __**and**__ you have a history __**and**__ he'll probably volunteer __**and**__-"_

"Okay, I get it, I get it." I leave the bookshelves and head back to the register. Kate was flipping through the channels but stopped halfway through my conversation with Lucy.

"_I'll call Lois and let her know our plans."_

"Okay, I'll see you then." We chat for a bit more and then I hang up. I look over at Kate and give her a big smile.

"What's got you so happy?" she asks.

"Lucy. Lois wants her to take a break after what happened today so she's on her way here." The brief falter in Kate's smile does not go unmissed by me.

"That's great." She's not happy.

"It really is, and you'll like her. Everyone likes Lucy."

"If you like her, I'll like her." I think she's jealous.

"Cool" I slip my phone in my pocket and lean on the counter. "So…"

"So…" The confusion on Kate's face is evident.

"So…I like the books you have. I would get a few but I'm already so busy with work and books I still need to read."

"Well, when you're not busy and done with those books, you know where to find me."

"Yep."

Kate starts talking again but my hearing picks up a distress call. "Linda, are you okay?"

"Huh?" The call is from Cassie.

"I said are you-"

"Hey Kate, I-I've gotta go. I'm sorry but something important just came to mind."

"What? Like a story?"

"Something like that. I need to go. Sorry..." I don't even finish my sentence and run out the door. If Cassie is calling for help, the situation cannot be good.

**X**

Five hours later, Cassie and I hobble into the apartment. Well, it's more like Cassie is hobbling and I'm supporting her. "I told you going after its knees was a bad idea."

"How was I supposed to know that?"

"By trusting what I told you." Cassie leans on me a little more as I unlock my door. "At least he only cracked your knee. It could've been your head if he had struck a moment sooner."

"You mean if _I_ hadn't moved a moment sooner." I look Cassie in the eyes, our faces a mere inch or two from each other, and raise an eyebrow at her.

"After he kicked you through that wall, you slowed down. In other words, I stand by my statement." I open the door and help Cassie to the couch. "It's a good thing you're staying with me for a few days. Otherwise we would be forced to explain to Diana how you got injured."

"It doesn't matter," she leans against the couch with one hand and looks at me, "she probably saw the news anyway."

"Let's hope not for our sake."

I go the kitchen and grab an ice pack and my last root beer from the fridge. I help Cassie onto the couch then hand her the root beer. She pops it open as I shift her so I can sit on the couch while her leg is stretched across my lap. Carefully, I roll her pant leg up and set the pack on her knee.

"You know, you could probably use your super breath and heat vision to take care of it."

"A, I'm not an Icy Hot Pack and B, that would only work if your muscles were sore. Unfortunately, the bone is cracked and even an Amazon doesn't heal that quickly."

"I would if I was on Themyscira."

"Oh, so do you want me to leave and explain to Epione, Diana, _and_ Hippolyta how you got your butt kicked by an overgrown whatever that was?" Cassie purses her lips and takes a swig of root beer. "That's what I thought. You'll have to make do with good ole' fashion healing."

"Whatever. Wait-ow!"

"_Try_ not to move."

"Whatever. Don't you have that super-quickie, Kryptonian healer stuff?"

"Super. Quickie. Kryptonian healer stuff." I rub the bridge of my nose and pull my glasses off. "First off, it's a special Kryptonian salve and second, yes. However, I only have so much right now. I'd rather use it for emergencies."

"This is an emergency!"

"It's just a crack. A week or so in a cast will take care of it."

"A week!" Cassie flinches again as she shifts her leg. "I can't stay off my knee for a week!"

"Be glad you're Amazonian. If you were a normal human it would be longer."

Cassie crosses her arms and pouts like a three year-old. "It's not fair." I tilt my head and pout in return. She looks up and tries to resist my puppy-dog look but soon a small smile forms on her lips. I push my lip out more and make a whimpering noise. Her smile widens and she rolls her eyes at me. "I hate how that always works."

"Don't feel so bad, not even Jimmy could resist the look."

"Oh, so only Jimmy and me can't resist you?"

"Actually, you and Jimmy are the only ones I ever use it on. But with Jimmy I only used it twice on him. And that's when we were dating."

"I guess that makes me special."

I smile and pat Cassie on her thigh. "Very. Look, if getting better quickly means that much to you, I'm sure I can spare a little bit."

"Thank you." I gently move Cassie's leg off my lap and go to my bedroom. The healer's kit is underneath my bed in a black doctor's bag. It doesn't take long for me to mix the amount of salve needed. I grab a wooden bite stick from the bag too and walk back to the living room.

"Here, you'll need this." She looks at the stick pointedly.

"You're kidding."

"Nope. This isn't just a sprain Cassie. It's working on broken bone. Plus, I _really_ don't want you screaming. That's the _last_ thing I need my neighbor's to hear."

"Why? Has it happened before?" I rub the bridge of my nose again as Cassie smiles at me.

"Just put the stick in your mouth." She follows my orders then gives me a wink; proud that her innuendo ruffled some feathers. "Keep smiling. You won't when this hits your knee."

"I dou-Ugh!" Cassie's back arches as soon as the balm touches her knee. I can hear the wood crack as her jaw tightens. Her fist starts banging against the edge of the couch and I grab it to keep her from breaking it. We stay in this position for one or two more minutes until she finally starts to relax. The salve only took a minute to work but the pain tends to stick around longer. A nasty aftereffect I've yet to stop.

"Cassie, you okay?" I brush her hair from her face and she nods.

"Why does it hurt so much?" she pants out.

"Impurities. On Krypton it only stung a little but since I can only use what Kal grows in his garden at the fortress, I had to improvise. On top of it, your body isn't used to healing at such an accelerated rate. Sorry."

Cassie grabs the hand that's running through her hair and holds it. "It's okay. Here's your bite stick back."

I laugh a little and take it from her. "You cracked it."

"You sound surprised. It was either bite harder or scream." Cassie winks at me and I pull my hand away."

"This is why I rarely hang out with you outside of Themyscira. Always with the innuendos."

"I thought it was darker reasons." She tries to make the comment sound light but the implications are there.

The smiles are gone and I let out sigh. "We _do_ need to talk."

"I know. Just not tonight."

"Cassie."

"_Please_." It's not like Cassie to plead for anything, so I comply and let it go for now.

"Okay. Not tonight, but _definitely _tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

I jump when the Justice League communicator goes off in my ear. I forgot it was still there. _"Supergirl, I need your help."_

I know that voice. "Since when does The Question need help?"

_"Since Kate's injured."_

The fact she didn't say Batwoman lets me know she knows Supergirl is friendly with Kate. It shouldn't surprise me. There's a reason the first Question chose the Gothamite ex-detective as his successor.

"What happened?"

_ "A group of thugs got the better of her. I need you to get here and use that Kryptonian balm on her."_ I have no idea where she got that information from. It's not like I use it often.

"I'm a little busy at the moment." I look at Cassie and see she's resting with her eyes closed. "It might take a while."

"_How long are you going to be?"_

Cassie opens her eyes and gives me a weak smile. "Not sure. My friend deserves some attention at the moment."

"_I understand."_

I sit down on the coffee table and brush through Cassie's hair. "Plus, she's a bit banged up herself. You can see my predicament."

"_Yes, that would be difficult to get out of."_

"However, you asked for help so I'll give it. I just need some time to prepare."

"_Fine, I'll watch her as long as I can."_

"Thank you. See you in a little while."

"_Okay, good night Kara."_

I pull the communicator out of my ear and set it on the table. "Why was The Question calling you?"

"She needs my help. Batwoman's hurt."

"What happened?"

"She got bested. That's all I know."

"Okay." I can see the healing process tired her out, which shouldn't surprise me. It's another aftereffect of the salve.

"Here," I put my arms under Cassie and help her stand up, "let's get you tucked in before I leave."

Cassie wraps her arms around my shoulders as I walk her to the guest bedroom. "Can I sleep in your room tonight?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I'll be fine Kara. And so will you." I look for any doubt, any small spark of fear, in Cassie's eyes. There's a reason we've avoided being alone together; there's still the fear of getting hurt, for her anyway. I've always been afraid of causing the fear.

But there's none in her eyes, only assurance and maybe a hint of stubbornness. "Okay. I'll get you some PJs." I set her on the bed and grab a t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts for her. "This should do. You should be able to get dressed on your own." I leave the room to get the leftover salve, bite stick, and com-link. I also finish off her root beer and put the bottle in the recycling. By the time I'm back in the room she's only changed her top.

In order to keep giving her privacy, I put the stuff in my bag and go to the large safe that's in my walk-in closet; it's where I keep my uniforms. I listen as she changes so I don't turn around too soon. When I'm sure she's ready, I pull out a uniform and get changed at super speed as I step out of the closet. Cassie smiles and hands me her clothes. "I always thought it was cool how you could do that."

I fold her clothes and set them on top of the chest of drawers. "It's cool until you start ripping a few shirts because of how fast you're going." I pull back the covers and tuck Cassie in. She snuggles into the bed and wraps her arms around the body pillow I handed her. I've never seen her tired like this before. The salve wouldn't have done it to this level. This has to be more than physical exhaustion. I should have a talk with her about it in the morning if at all possible. I kiss her on the forehead and grab the doctor's bag off the floor.

Right now, I have a red-head to go take care of.

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**For those who don't know this, this story is supposed to revolve around Kate (Batwoman) and Linda(Supergirl/Kara). But it's kind of been revolving around Kara and her relationship with other people. I guess it just goes to show you never know what you're gonna get when you start a story. For instance, I didn't think it would be this long.  
Do you guys know that I've only matched this story up to chapter 8 of Gettin' By? That's ridiculous. Oh well. It make this story all the more fun.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Warning: Again, there is mention of rape in here. Nothing in detail but it is mentioned. **

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Shortly after I arrived, the Question left. It was a good thing to, because I kept feeling something had taken place between her and Batwoman and it involved me.

When I have everything set to help Kate's injuries, I take my cape off to make it easier to move around and approach her.

"Okay Kate, is it okay if I take your comforter off of you? I need to x-ray you and it would make it simple for me if you weren't covered."

"Can't you see through it?"

"Yes, but afterwards I'll be applying the medicine and it would be easier if the comforter was already off."

"Okay." I slowly pull the comforter down until it's piled at the foot of her bed. Kate's only wearing a bra and underwear, so without the warmth of the blanket she shivers from the cold.

"Are you okay Kate?" She nods. "Good, I'm going to x-ray you now." Starting from her head, I scan her entire body then work my way back up in case I missed anything. "You have a sprained ankle, five cracked ribs on your right side, and other than a lot of cuts and bruises you're fine." I just notice how rigid she looks. I may be my own furnace but I know the room can't be that cold. "Kate, are you okay?"

"W-why do you say that?"

"Because you're extremely…rigid. You can relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

Kate seems offended by my comment and gets defensive. "I know that." She kind of reminds me of Cassie in that way.

"Then relax and take a few breaths. If you're uncomfortable now, you're not going to be comfortable in the next few moments."

"Why?"

"One of the cracks is right under your right breast. I'm going to have to ask you to take your bra off."

Her heart rate shoots up at that. "I'm not shy." She is so lying.

"Then tell your red face that." She turns another shade darker but I pretend I don't notice. I try to find something to cover Kate's breasts and find an extra bra in my doctor's bag. It's not your typical bra. It was designed to go under my uniform. "Here." Kate pops out of la-la land and notices the bra in my hand.

"What is this?" she asks as she takes it from me.

"It's a material I wear under my suit. I can't wear traditional or exercise bras because they can show through the suit. I used to not wear anything at all but then a friend of mine developed this." I'd rather not tell her Superman designed it for me. That would be awkward.

"Thank you Supergirl."

"Call me Kara, and you're welcome." I turn just as she goes to remove her bra. She must be in too much pain because she lets out a hiss followed by a string of expletives.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is that anyway for a lady to talk?"

"It is when she's got five cracked ribs."

"I see. Well, try to keep the expletives to yourself."

"You don't cuss?"

"What I say off duty can slip through on duty. And when you're me, you have a lot of children looking up to you."

"Well, I don't."

"You're right, you don't."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Okay, apparently my comment hit a chord.

"How many little girls have you seen around here dressed as you?

"None." I can see the disappointment in her eyes as well as hear it.

"They probably don't even know you exist…Which is nice, but not for me."

"And recognition is?"

"No, hope is. And the best way I can give hope is to be _very_ present." I pour a special Kryptonian alcohol on a cloth and use it to clean her wounds. She hums as I rub it across her skin. "Feels nice huh?" She nods and I continue working on her. "It's sort of a Kryptonian alcohol, or the closest thing to it." Next, I start to clean the cuts on her arms and neck. When I reach her stomach she flinches. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a little ticklish there."

"Ticklish? I'll have to keep that in mind for later." Kate raises and eyebrow at my comment and I realize how it sounded.

As I continue cleaning her cuts and scrapes, Kate begins to relax. In fact, when I'm done and back at my bag, her eyes are still closed and she's humming. I move over to her bed with the bowl and as soon as I'm next to her, she mumbles something about gentle hands.

"Excuse me?" Her eyes pop open and she looks surprised to see me standing over her.

"What?"

"Well, you asked if there was anything else I was gentle at."

"I did?"

"You did. May I ask what you were originally thinking I was gentle at?"

"Um, I was just thinking that…y-you…" I smile as she continues to babble. Looks like I've got her cornered. "I-I was just surprise with how gentle you are with your hands. You can pick up cars, and are bullet-proof, and I even saw a clip of you crushing a piece of coal into a diamond. I'm just surprised." I take a moment before sitting down next to her. A few strands of hair are matted to her face so I push them back.

"Like you Kate, I have another side to me. A side I use to fit into this world. So I need to know how to be gentle. I need to know how to open a door without pulling it off of its hinges. I need to know how to shake a hand without crushing it. I need to know how to kiss someone without breaking their teeth." I'm not sure where this mini-confession is coming from but it's a needed release. Kate gives me a soft smile before reaching up and brushing a few strands of my hair behind my ear.

"This must be so hard for you. You always have to be in control. It's like…it's like you're living in a world made of cardboard and candy wafers." I take Kate's hand off my face and keep hold of it as I bring it to my lap.

"I _always_ have to be careful around humans. They break so easily." One of these days I'd like to lose control. I'd like to let go and go full force but that will never happen, not on Earth anyway.

I stand up and finish mixing the balm then I take a breath and lean over her. "Now this _will_ sting. If it doesn't, that's a good sign I didn't mix it right. You might also want to take that bra off now and put on the one I gave you."

"Could you help me with it?"

"Sure." I help Kate sit up before unclasping her bra for her. Without looking, I take it and bring it over her head and shoulders. When I'm near her ribs, she lets out a hiss. "Sorry, sorry."

"It's okay." When the bra is around her waist and under her arms, I bring the bra back up her body. I try to be careful with her ribs as I fit the bra over her breasts comfortably then help her lie back down. Once I'm sure she's comfortable, I take the bowl and scoop out a tiny amount of the balm. She flinches while I apply it but her reaction doesn't go beyond that and her hands squeezing the bed slightly.

"That wasn't so bad."

"We're not done yet." I walk around to the other side of the bed. "I need to put you on your side." I can see how much it hurts to move her. I can also see she's being trying her hardest to not show said pain; something I would expect from her. When she's completely on her side, I hand her the bite stick. "Here, bite this."

"I can stand pain. Besides, my ankle didn't hurt that much."

"That's because it was only sprained. You're ribs are fractured, with two close to being broken. Bite this." Kate reluctantly takes the bite stick and situates it in her mouth. I give her once final warning before I scoop up more balm. She rolls her eyes and I control the urge to smack in upside the head and tell her she's being stupid.

Slowly, I spread the balm over her ribs. The pain kicks in immediately and she tightens her jaw. She's taking the pain better then I expect, until her body begins to shake. This is not good. I stop what I'm doing and reach out to contain her when the bite stick cracks completely and Kate passes out. Okay, that's _really_ not good.

**X**

"_It's the only way."_

"_There has to be another way._

"_There isn't…Kara, you _have_ to die."_

"Penny for your thoughts." I pop out of the memory and look up to see Cassie floating a few feet in front of me.

"What?"

She frowns slightly and lands on Kate's balcony. I came out here last night after making sure Kate was okay. I didn't want to leave her just yet so I hung around her apartment. Some time after midnight, I came out to sit on her balcony and think. "How long have you been out here?"

"Judging from the sun, I have to say seven hours, give or take."

Cassie sits down on the chair opposite me. "I guess that means you haven't slept all night have you?"

"No. I came out here some time ago to think. Didn't realize I'd been thinking that long."

"Do I wanna know what about?"

I shrug and prop my feet up on the balcony's railing. "The future. The past. Everything."

"No wonder why it took you so long." I roll my head to the left and raise an eyebrow at her. Her smile widens and she crosses her arms. "Couldn't resist."

"You never can. How's your knee by the way?"  
"Good. Want me to kick you?"

I roll my eyes and shake my head. "No. I'll take your word for it."

Cassie suddenly hops up and takes a peek inside Kate's bedroom. "How's she doing?"

"Her damage was far worse than yours. She'll be out longer."

"What happened?"

"Don't know the specifics, just that some thugs got the best of her."

"Who brought her here?"

"The Question." Cassie shudders and sits back down in her chair.

"That woman gives me the creeps. She's worse than the original Question."

"Albeit, her methods are more questionable than his, but she gets the job done."

"Whatever _that_ means." We sit in silence until the sun rises completely over the building next to us. "Are we ever going to talk about what we never seem to talk about?"

"We can do that right now, if you want."

"Here? On this balcony in broad daylight?"

I turn my head to look at her. "Why not? Or would you prefer to wait right before midnight when we're tired and our guard is down?"

"Kind of." I smile and drop my feet from the railing so I can get a better look at her.

"Cassie. It's not now or never but I would like to get certain things out of the way."

Cassie breaks eye contact with me and focuses on her hands. She stares and them for a few seconds before taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "What do you remember from that night?"

I lean back in my seat and think for a moment. "Not much. I remember Diana putting me to bed, you touching my shoulder–I think to wake me up–then the next thing I know, I'm scrambling to get off of you. Other than that, not much."

"So it's up to me to fill in the big, nasty details."

"It's your choice."

Cassie sighs then leans on the table. "I guess…I guess full disclosure isn't necessary. I'm not sure if it's not for me or you but…I do know it's not." With every pause Cassie takes, I'm unsure of the direction she'll go and that makes me uneasy. "What you do need to know is this," Cassie stands up and moves to kneel in front of me; she even takes my hands in hers, "yes. You did almost rape me but you didn't. And I know that your abuse of me stemmed from Desaad's abuse of you-don't argue." I close my mouth and let her continue. "What I also know, is a lot of what happened revolved around you exploiting and exposing my insecurities about everything. Things I didn't even know you knew, and that scared me."

"It scared me too."

Cassie gives me a sad smile, which causes the tears brimming on her eyes to fall. "And that's partially why I didn't tell Diana about what happened. You weren't really you. Not the Kara I knew and loved, and still love." Cassie stands up and clears her throat. "You know the other reason. I thought Diana would be disappointed in me. She trained me after-all."

I stand up with her and rest my left hand on her right shoulder. "No Amazon is prepared for the tortures Desaad has created, even the diluted methods I used on you. Don't forget what you were going through at that time. Any Amazon would have reacted like you did."  
"Not Diana." I slowly turn her towards me and make her look me in the eyes.

"_Especially _Diana. If you haven't noticed already, she's not altogether all the time." Cassie doesn't say anything in return so I pull her into a hug. "I'm so sorry Cassie. I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry I don't remember. And I'm sorry you've been carrying this pain around for so long. Please, _please_ forgive me."

Cassie pulls away from me and wipes the stream of tears running down her face. "I already have."

She's pulls me back in her arms and we stay like that until my cellphone rings. I apologize to Cassie and answer it. "Hey Barb, what's up?"

"_Last night I got a call from the Question. She told me Batwoman got into a fight and lost. She also told me you were at her apartment taking care of her. So, how is she?"_

"She'll be fine. I put that special salve on her then put her to bed. She'll probably be up around lunchtime."

"_Good. I'll see you soon."_

"W-H-I'm-I'm sorry, what?"

"_I'm coming over. I'll be at her place in an hour."_

"Why?"

"_Because."_

When Barbara hangs up, I put my phone away and notice Cassie is no longer on the balcony with me. I go inside and find her in the kitchen raiding Kate's fridge. "Really? You couldn't wait for me to take you out for breakfast?"

Cassie ignores me and cracks six eggs in a frying pan. "Her fridge is pretty empty so you're going to have to settle for scrambled eggs instead of an omelet."

"Fine by me, but you do know you're gonna have to replace those eggs."

"You mean _you_ are going to have to do that. _I_ don't have a job."

I roll my eyes and sit down at the kitchen counter to watch Cassie cook. To my surprise, she moves around the kitchen like she knows what she's doing. "I never took you for being domestic."

"Diana says all Amazons should know how to cook. You know," she turns to me and leans against the stove, "in case we're ever stranded."

"Oh, of course. Wait, does that mean Artemis can cook?"

Cassie grabs two bowls and forks, and sets them on the counter. "She's the best one. Once, time she even made a dinner for Epione's birthday. It was _really_ good."

"I'd say she'd make a good wife if she wasn't so attached to the Amazon ways."

"You mean mate then kill?"

I stop smiling whens she says that. "You know?"

"Diana told me. I know the queen doesn't think she knows but she does. Strife told her."

"When has Diana _ever _believed what the woman tells her?"

"Not often, but she's getting good and telling the difference . Besides, Strife isn't one for lying, not when the truth will cause more conflict."

"Why hasn't Diana said anything to Hippolyta?"

"She's waiting for her to make the first move. I'm not sure if that's an Amazon thing or a mother and daughter thing."

"I'd go with both. Anyway, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you set in the Amazon ways? Do you have an interest in marriage?"

Cassie divides the eggs up and sits across from me. "Not sure. I'd like to say I do. I just don't think that kind of commitment is for me."

"I guess I feel the same. Maybe I'm not meant for marriage. Not everyone is. Some people are best kept single."

"Yeah, except for one thing. I know you, and for as long as I can remember you've always looked for forever. It's inside of you."

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. We'll see." Cassie laughs and we dig into our eggs. "You know, to be honest I _am_ looking for a commitment, but I think I already found it. I'm the kind of woman who's committed to her work, and that's okay. I like romance, and I like relationships, but I'd rather focus on the latter. For example," I take Cassie's hand in mine and smile her, "my friendship with you."

Cassie tilts her head slightly and raises an eyebrow at me. "Kara…" she says my name so softly that it's a little weird. "Is this your way of saying you're attracted to me?"

I pull my hand from hers and smack her in the arm. "You had to ruin it, didn't you? You just _had_ to ruin the moment." Cassie laughs while I shake my head and get up to pour us drinks.

"Kara, do you remember when those Inquirer articles about the women of the League came out?"

"How could I not?" I set our drinks down and sit back in my seat. "First, they made Wonder Woman come out like a player who dated everyone. She was _not _happy about that by the way. And second, they kept pairing me up with women who looked like me. First it was Canary, then it was Stargirl, and _then_ it was Power Girl. Okay, she's like my twin. That's just gross.

"How come they never paired us up?"

"Oh but they did. About two months after you joined the Titans, some hack reporter sent the Inquirer that picture of us with fighting Giganta."

"I remember now. Poor J'onzz. After a huge public reaction, he had to make a statement about how none of it was true."

"J'onzz wasn't the only one who had to clean up that mess. Diana, Canary, me, and others had to sort through the letters we got asking us to speak at rallies and meetings."

"Doesn't the League have a strict policy on public events?"

I clear my voice and quote the policy. "The Justice League of America cannot be seen supporting any group, political protest, or public function that does not directly involve the JLA as a whole. This includes specific political party rallies, religious functions, privately owned companies and their affiliates, foreign groups, etc., etc."

"Why do you have that memorized?"

"You have no idea how many times I've had to relay that policy to people. So, what do want to do today?"

"You mean other than babysit your friend? Hmm…how about nothing? I think today is a good day to just be. If that's okay with you?"

"That sounds perfect."

Cassie and I finish our breakfast and settle in on Kate's couch to watch television until Barbara shows up. She wasn't expecting Cassie to be here, so when she sees the blonde Amazon she's taken back.

"I didn't know you had company."

"She's staying with me for a while. It was a last minute decision. Kate's in her bed."

As the two of us go to Kate's bedroom, I explain to her what happened last night; this doesn't include anything with Cassie. When we enter, Barbara wheels straight to Kate. "How's she feeling?"

"Fine now. She passed out while I applied it to her ribs but that's understandable. I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did in the first place."

"That's Kate for you."

"I'm beginning to realize that."

Barbara and I watch for a moment longer before she's ready to leave. I follow her out of the bedroom and to the front door. "Dinah called. She's wants to meet with you."

"When and where?"

"You'll get the when soon. The where, is the usual place."

"We need to stop meeting there. It _will_ be compromised eventually."

"I'm aware of that Linda. But certain plans have been set into motion. They can't change yet."

I cross my arms. "Why do I not like the sound of that?"

Barbara smirks then opens the door. "Relax Linda, all is planned out." As she heads down the hallway I call out to her.

"Even you know the best laid plans never go as planned."

"True," she says with her back to me as she presses the button for the elevator, "but this time I'm right." I stay in the hallway until the elevator closes.

"I take it from that conversation we're _not _spending all day together?" says Cassie once I close the front door.

"I'm sorry Cass. When duty calls, I have to answer." I plop down on the couch next to her and suddenly yawn. "Whoa, where did that come from?"

"When's the last time you slept?"

"Not since Themyscira."

"Kara, you've been up too long. Even Kryptonian's need their sleep."

"I'm-" I yawn again and roll my eyes because of it. "This is ridiculous."

"Here," Cassie scoots to the end of the couch and lets me rest my head on her lap. I'm reminded of how short Kate's couch is when my feet stick out over the arm of the chair. Cassie notices and giggles.

"Hey, you're almost the same height as me."

"Shh, gets some sleep Kara."

I close my eyes and nod. "Mkay." When I feel the pull of sleep, I say something to Cassie. "Hey Cass…"

"Yeah?"

"Don't cry at my funeral, okay?"

"What?" Fear laces her voice. I try to reassure her by patting the hand that's resting on my stomach.

"It's okay. It's all planned out. I promise." That's the last thing I remember before sleep finally takes me.

**X**

When I wake up, I realize Cassie is gone. There's a note on Kate's coffee table that says she went to run some errands and would meet me for dinner at 5:00. Not wanting to stay on the couch any longer, I grab the throw blanket that's on the back of it and drag myself to Kate's bedroom. Thankfully, she's still out cold. I grab the furnished chair that's sitting in the corner of her room and wheel it next to her bed. I write a quick note for Kate as Kara then I wrap the blanket around me and curl up in the chair. It's definitely not as comfortable as the couch but at least I'll be right here when Kate wakes up.

* * *

**This crossed my mind while I was writing. If anyone thinks that the characters seem to be making light of the tragedy that is rape, they are not. This is how these characters are dealing with an issue between them. Trust me, their arc isn't done quite yet.**

**Also, in case anyone is interested, we have caught up with chapter 9 of Gettin' By. The next update will cover chapters 10 and 11.**

**I hope you guys have been enjoying this story so far. If all goes as planned you all get 18 more chapters of this (maybe less). Please comment and critique. Constructive criticism is highly welcome.**


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